Peabody Drops Out Of 'High Risk' Coronavirus Spread Category

PEABODY, MA — The long, steady — yet comparatively slow — decline in Peabody coronavirus rates hit a key threshold this week when the city was taken off the state's "high risk" list for community spread for the first time since November.

After being one of 19 cities or towns still on the "red" high-risk list last week, the city was listed as a "yellow" moderate-risk community in the latest state report released Thursday.

With 229 new positive cases over the past two weeks, Peabody had a positive-test rate of 3.47 percent over the last week with 24.1 cases per 100,000 residents. That is the lowest level since Nov. 13 when there were 21.2 cases per 100,000 residents, and Nov. 6 when the positive test rate was 3.12 percent.

As of last week's report, Peabody had a positive test rate of 4.29 percent with 30.8 cases per 100,000 residents.

Massachusetts labeled just 14 communities as high risk for the coronavirus in the latest town-by-town report from the Department of Public Health.

The seven-day average positive test rate for the state fell to 1.72 percent, the lowest level since October. Statewide case counts, hospitalizations and deaths also all fell.

A total of 1,589 new cases and 42 deaths were reported Thursday.

The positive test rate over the last two weeks fell in 164 — or 46.7 percent — of the 351 communities in the state. The rate rose in 105 — or29.9 percent — of communities and held steady in the remaining 82.

Two-week confirmed case counts rose in 113 communities.

There were 20.3 average daily cases per 100,000 residents of the state over that period, down from 21.3 last week.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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