Covid-19 Known Infection and Testing Rates in Massachusetts by City

We finally know testing rates and positive results in Framingham – and can compare that with rates throughout the state.

For the first time yesterday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released data about persons tested, persons tested per 100,000 population, and testing positive rates by city and town. That’s in addition to the known Covid-19 infection rates by city and town that the DPH has been releasing weekly since mid-April.

Framingham’s overall positive testing rate is 23%, among the highest in Massachusetts. When too many people test positive, experts say, it shows that tests are unlikely to be finding people who are infected with the virus without showing symptoms. Desired positive rates are generally lower than 10%. The state average is 17%.

Framingham had tested just under 7,000 people as of May 27, for a rate of 9,384 people tested per 100,000. That’s better than the state average of 7.925. However, higher infection rates call for more testing. According to one model, there should be at least 10 times the number of people tested as known infections (for a positive rate of 10% or less).

Framingham is now 11th in the state in known infection rate, up from 12th a week ago and 81st in April.