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Six counties in Massachusetts are now considered to be at high risk for transmission of COVID-19 and a majority of the state has been found to be at substantial risk.
Only Hampshire County is listed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “moderate” transmission level; the remainder are described as either ‘substantial’ or ‘high’ risk, with the counties of Berkshire, Hampden, Bristol, Suffolk, Dukes and Nantucket at the highest risk level based on the increase in the number of cases among the population. The increased statewide risk comes as the delta variant continues to see new cases increase across the country, especially in areas with low vaccination rates.
The designations mean that residents of 13 of the 14 Commonwealth counties are encouraged to wear masks indoors, regardless of their immunization status, according to CDC guidelines. A week ago, the CDC considered only Barnstable and Bristol counties to be at high risk, with eight other counties at significant risk.
Data are acquired using population and positivity rates. The full map of the US CDC is available here.
Massachusetts reported 1,111 new cases of COVID on Friday as hospitalizations increased slightly to 271.
New cases have continued to increase across the state and country as the highly contagious delta variant spreads. More and more communities and businesses are asking people to mask themselves, even if they are vaccinated against the virus.
In June, the United States averaged about 11,000 new cases of COVID per day, a low since the start of the pandemic. On Saturday, the Associated Press reported that the country now has an average of more than 100,000 new cases per day.
Associated content:
- Massachusetts Reports 1,111 New COVID Cases As Delta Variant Grows Weekly Rise
- ‘We never had a chance to cry’: Massachusetts advocates, lawmakers push for National COVID Memorial Day
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