Covid-19: More Than 3,700 New Cases Reported Over Christmas Week, Worcester County
Over the last week, more than 3,700 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Worcester County.
The week of Christmas - Monday, Dec. 21 - Sunday, Dec. 27 - also saw 1,467 new deaths across the Central Massachusetts county.
Statewide, the number of new cases went up by 27,615 since last week (Dec. 21) and 383 new deaths have been reported, according to the most recent update to the Massachusetts COVID-19 Datadashboard, Dec. 27.
Below are new and cumulative case and death counts per county, Pioneer Valley, and statewide from Monday, Dec. 21 - Sunday, Dec. 27.
Berkshire 232 new cases rep…
Covid-19: Town-By-Town Rates And Trends, Hampden County - Dec. 18
Two communities in Hampden County lowered their COVID-19 incident rate and nearly a dozen are below the highest risk category - red, according to the most recent state data.
On Thursday, Dec. 17, Massachusetts Public Health Department released weekly town-by-town datasets that include how many COVID-19 incidents there are per 100,000 residents - the incident rate.
The communities where the rate went down are Southwick and Belchertown.
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Meanwhile, Springfield, Ludlow, Holyoke, Wilbraham, Chicopee, and West Springfield had the highest COVID-19 rates per 100,000 residents. The rates…
Covid-19: 'Red' Communities More Than Double In Central, Western Mass - Local Rates And Trends
The number of COVID-19 “red” communities has more than doubled in Central and Western Massachusetts since last week, according to the most recent state data, Thursday, Nov. 19.
Last week there were 9 Central and Western Massachusetts communities in the red.
Now there are 21: Blackstone, Chicopee, Clinton, Douglas, Fitchburg Hampden, Holyoke, Lancaster, Leominster, Ludlow, Lunenburg, Milford, Northbridge, Southbridge, Southwick, Springfield, Sterling, Templeton, Uxbridge, West Springfield, Winchendon.
To see local rates and trends, scroll to the end of the article.
Among the red communitie…
Is The Drought Over Yet? Southern Part Of State Drier Than The Rest
The downpour that soaked the region on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 29-30, deposited 1.5-2 inches of rain, but still, much of southern Massachusetts is experiencing extreme drought.
According to state data released Thursday, Oct.1, nearly 30 percent of the state is experiencing “extreme” drought - the second highest degree of drought tracked by the state. The worst degree of drought is “exceptional.”
The ranking goes, from least to most drought-like conditions, are None, Abnormallly Dry, Moderate Drought, Severe Drought, Extreme Drought, and Exceptional Drought.
In…