The Boston-area COVID wastewater ranges have taken a plunge after a current surge amid the extremely contagious XBB.1.5 omicron variant, because the state reported a 7% dip in new virus instances over the past week.
While the Boston-area viral sewage ranges have fallen, native well being officers are reminding residents that the important thing COVID knowledge indicators stay excessive.
The virus wastewater knowledge has helped predict COVID waves all through the pandemic. The Boston-area COVID wastewater ranges had been spiking in current weeks through the holidays, however the knowledge took a downward flip over the past week.
The seven-day common within the south-of-Boston area has fallen to 1,501 viral copies per milliliter, which is down from 2,009 viral copies within the report final week. The common on Thanksgiving was 721 viral copies.
The north-of-Boston area’s seven-day common has dropped to 986 viral copies per milliliter, a major lower from 2,023 viral copies on New Year’s Day. The common on Thanksgiving was 483 viral copies.
Boston COVID hospitalizations have additionally been decrease within the final week, based on the Boston Public Health Commission.
“But these numbers remain HIGH,” tweeted Bisola Ojikutu, govt director of the Boston Public Health Commission. “Masking indoors and on public transportation and getting boosted (boston.gov/covid19) are the right things to do.”
Meanwhile, the state Department of Public Health reported 9,360 virus instances over the past week. The every day common of 1,337 COVID instances from the final week is down 7% from the every day charge of 1,439 virus infections through the earlier week.
Also, the Bay State’s optimistic check common decreased final week. The seven-day optimistic check charge is now 12.25%, down from 13.39% final week.
The state Department of Public Health on Thursday additionally reported that 1,250 whole sufferers are hospitalized with COVID, which is a drop of 86 sufferers from this time final week.
The state reported 142 new COVID deaths over the previous week, bringing the state’s whole to 23,259 recorded deaths because the begin of the pandemic. The every day common of deaths is now 18, which has been rising in current weeks.
More than 5.6 million folks within the state have been totally vaccinated, and greater than 3.4 million folks have obtained at the least one booster dose. Also, the state reported that greater than 1.5 million further booster doses have been administered.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”