Declining Coronavirus Cases, Hospitalizations In RI Spark Hope

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island has been on the road to recovery when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic for more than a month now. Tuesday's weekly data showed yet another week in a row of improved numbers, with two of the three key indicators well below the safe threshold.

The weekly percent positive rate mostly held steady over the past week, decreasing by 0.1 percentage points to 2.1 percent. Hospitalizations also saw a modest decline in the past week, falling from 183 the week of Feb. 13 to 174 this past week.

Cases per 100,000 people are still above the safe threshold of 100 or fewer, but this category has been on the decline since it peaked in early January, showing that the virus is becoming less prevalent in the state.

State health officials pointed to the decrease in hospitalizations as a key factor that the state of the pandemic is improving in Rhode Island. Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Department of Health, said that this decline shows that the initial vaccine rollout — which was specifically targeted at health care workers and the most vulnerable populations in the state — was effective.

As of Tuesday, 186 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Rhode Island, down from a peak of more than 500 in December.

Despite the across-the-board improvements, Alexander-Scott and other state leaders reminded residents to stay vigilant about social distancing, mask-wearing and hand-washing until more people can get vaccinated.

The improved data allowed certain business restrictions to be loosened, but this could change if more contagious variants of the virus become prevalent in the state. Last week, the Department of Health confirmed three cases of the United Kingdom variant in the state. To keep themselves and their families safe, Rhode Islanders are urged to continue to take safety precautions and to make sure their masks are high-quality and effective.

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