Newton's Coronavirus Case Count Increases As Virus Rebounds

NEWTON, MA — The City of Newton reported a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in this week's Department of Public Health report, with 32 new cases over the last two weeks compared to the 22 cases reported in last week's stats.

According to health officials, Newton's 14-day percent positive test rate has increased from 0.41% last week to 0.63% this week and the average daily incidence rate went from 1.7 to 2.5.

The town's increase in COVID-19 cases mirrors the rest of Massachusetts, with around 40 percent of cities and towns reporting rising positive test rates. The statewide weekly average positive test rate rose from 0.51 percent to 0.78 percent and the average case count rose to 134.7.

State health officials reported 477 cases Thursday, bringing the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 667,818.

As of July 15, 73.9% of Newton residents are fully vaccinated and 80.8% have received their first dose.

The city has not released any information on whether it will reinstate a mask advisory.