Framingham’s Covid-19 rates have improved a bit, according to weekly data released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health today, but the city remains a high-risk “red-zone” community under state guidelines.
There will be free state-funded Covid-19 tests for the first time in District 2, at Walsh Middle School, starting tomorrow (Thursday, Oct. 1). Tests will be available every day but Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. throughout October. No appointments or insurance are needed.
Known new cases per 100,000 population averaged 11.1 over the previous 14 days, according to DPH data. While that’s almost double the statewide average of 5.7, it was less than last week’s 12.5.
The city’s testing positivity rate dipped to 2.49%, lowest it’s been since mid-August.
Framingham also saw by far its largest number of tests administered: more than 5,500 over the prior 14 days. Last week’s reported number for a similar time period was 4,426.
Elsewhere in MetroWest, Marlborough and Holliston remained red-zone communities. Marlborough’s rate rose to 10.2 and its test positivity hit 2.59%. (In contrast, Holliston’s rate was below 10 and its positivity was just 1.61%.)
Boston also moved into the red zone this week at 8.5 known new cases per 100,000 people, although its positivity rate was a minuscule 0.56%. It remains baffling that the Baker administration does not consider tests per capita or positivity rates when determining high-risk communities.
Several communities bordering Framingham including Natick, Ashland, and Sudbury remain green, with known cases of 3.3 per 100,000 or less.
State scale: Gray, less than 5 reported cases in the last 14 days; Green, less than 4 cases per 100,000 population; Yellow, 4-8 cases per 100,000 population; Red, more than 8 cases per 100,000 population.
A graph of Framingham’s seven-day average of actual reported cases (based on city press releases) is below. Note that the latest 7.7 number is for the city’s population of around 72,000 and not per 100K.
Framingham State University hasn’t reported Covid-19 test results since Sept. 22, when it said there was 1 new case among 518 tested.
MWRA
After a brief spike early in the week, Covid-19 found in regional waste water appeared to remain relatively stable in the MWRA’s South region (see the graph below; click on North in the legend to turn that line off and only view South data). Framingham is in the MWRA’s South region, along with Newton and Boston, among others.
Covid-19 traces found in sewage are often seen as a predictor of future trends, since people who are infected can be shedding virus before having symptoms or spreading illness to others.
See latest Covid-19 coverage at http://www.district2framingham.com/tags/covid19/.
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