Framingham Sees First Triple-Digit Rise In Coronavirus Cases

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham added 116 new coronavirus cases over the post-Thanksgiving weekend, the first time the city has seen more than 100 cases in a single reporting period this fall.

The new raft of cases pushed the number of active coronavirus cases in Framingham up to 490, an increase of almost 100 in one week. The city's positive test rate also jumped to 4.67 percent, up from 4.36 percent last Monday.

Monday's coronavirus figures mean the city will most likely remain on the state's list of red high-risk communities. Framingham would have to have a test rate below 4 percent and fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 over a two-week period to come off the weekly list, which comes out next on Thursday.

In general, more young people are testing positive for coronavirus in Framingham. The median age of new cases was 35 over the last two weeks — and the median has been below age 40 since the end of August.

Portuguese and Spanish speakers also continue to be more likely to test positive. Of the total cases in Framingham during the pandemic, 35 percent and 31 percent of cases are in Portuguese and Spanish speakers, respectively. And about 39 percent of cases over the past two weeks have been in Portuguese speakers, according to city data.

As a whole, the state added 1,166 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, and there were another 25 COVID-19-related deaths. One Framingham resident died of the virus over the weekend, according to health officials.