COVID-19 Deemed A 'Medium' Risk For All Of Rhode Island

RHODE ISLAND — The COVID-19 community level risk for Providence County was upgraded to medium Friday, meaning the entire state of Rhode Island is now under the same category, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The county's upgraded risk comes a week after Bristol, Kent, Newport and Washington counties all saw their risk levels raise. This means every county in Rhode Island has a rate above 200 new cases per 100,000 people over the last week. Hospital capacity and admissions also play a factor in setting the risk level, according to the CDC.

Given that all of Rhode Island is now in the medium-risk category, the CDC recommends staying up to date with vaccinations and getting a COVID-19 test when experiencing symptoms. Immunocompromised people and others at higher risk of severe illness should talk to their doctor about wearing a face-covering in a public setting.

On Friday, the Rhode Island Department of Health reported 302 new COVID-19 cases. No deaths were reported Friday. Statewide, community transmission stood at 209 new cases per 100,000 people.

Hospitalizations declined from 72 last week to 61 statewide, as of Friday, state health data showed. Three patients were in intensive care, and five were on ventilators.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health on Wednesday said the state will no longer keep track of the COVID-19 positive test rate.

"At prior points in the pandemic, when the state was overseeing the vast majority of testing in Rhode Island, percent positive was a very meaningful metric," a department spokesperson said. "However, as part of Rhode Island’s shift toward an endemic response to COVID-19, much more testing is happening in traditional healthcare settings, and at-home tests have become the option of choice for many Rhode Islanders. Because these tests do not all get reported to the state, our percent positive data is now much harder to interpret."