Framingham’s rate of known new Covid-19 infections remained stable despite the opening of a new walk-in testing center downtown, according to data released today by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
That’s good news, since the new center offers better access to some of the city’s highest-risk communities. The new location at Saint Tarcisius Parish opened on Feb. 24, so today’s 14-day report only includes some days with test results from the additional location.
In data over the last 14 days, Framingham had an average of 27.6 known new cases per 100,000 population, about the same as last week’s reported 27.1, according to the Massachusetts DPH report. Number of tests, meanwhile, rose almost 11% to more than 11,000 while positivity was at 3%.
Although the city is now in the Baker administration’s “yellow zone,” Framingham remains a red-zone community based on CDC guidelines for transmission risk. More than 100 total cases per 100,000 population over seven days is deemed highest risk of spread.
(The map below is approximate, since the CDC uses a 7-day total while the state reports a 14-day total; calculations below divide the 14-day total by two, which may not reflect significant changes between the two weeks.)