Salem Coronavirus Case Rates Spike

SALEM, MA — Salem coronavirus case rates soared in the latest state report with the city now seeing 41.6 cases per 100,000 people and 262 confirmed positive tests over the past 14 days.

The cases per 100,000 are more than five times higher than the 8.0 cases per 100,000 that the state used as a threshold three weeks ago to determine whether a city was "high risk" for community spread before it changed its metrics.

"We are mirroring back what we were seeing in the spring," Mayor Kim Driscoll said of the recent rise in rates at a town hall meeting on the virus in the city last week. "It may seem like a small number but it could have an impact if you are in the cohort of individuals who get sick, or worse."

Salem's positive test rate is 4.09 percent. The 41.6 cases per 100,000 is a rise from 25.9 percent last week and 7.7 cases just three weeks ago.

The positive test rate over the last two weeks increased in 266 — or 75.8 percent — of the 351 communities in the state. The rate fell in 36 — or 10.3 percent — communities and held steady in the remaining 49.

Statewide, there were 29.7 average daily cases per 100,000 residents, up from 20.7 last week. The number of high-risk communities rose from 30 to 62.

Fifty-nine towns had positive test rates at or above 5 percent over the last two weeks, up from 30 last week.

Over 160 communities had positive rates between 2 and 5 percent.

The state reported 92,139 new tests Friday, bringing the total number of tests to 7.6 million.

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