On Thursday, Dec. 17, Massachusetts Public Health Department released weekly town-by-town datasets that include how many COVID-19 incidents there are per 100,000 residents - the incident rate.
The communities where the rate went down are Chester, Harvard, New Braintree, New Salem, Bolton, Gardner, Southborough, Sutton, West Boylston, Sterling, Hopedale, North Brookfield, and Upton. Of these communities, only 5 are “red” - the state’s highest risk category for the spread of COVID-19.
HIGHEST
Meanwhile, Leominster, Southbridge, Worcester, Northborough, Auburn had the highest COVID-19 rates per 100,000 residents. The rates are:
- Leominster 102.6
- Southbridge 101.6
- Worcester 90.5
- Northborough 86.9
- Auburn 85.4.
In all five of these cities, the rate increased from the previous one and they are all “in the red,” that is to say these communities are in the category for highest risk of infection.
LOWEST
The communities that had the lowest COVID-19 rate in Worcester County are New Salem, Petersham, Chester, Harvard, and Upton. Here are their rates:
- New Salem 0
- Petersham 0
- Chester 5.3
- Harvard 10.3
- Upton 15.5.
The town of Petersham saw no change while the rates in the other four communities dropped.
WORCESTER COUNTY
Below is a rundown of what’s happening in your community it includes the community’s COVID-19 rate per 100,000 residents, the community’s color-coded risk level, and whether the rate went up, down, or stayed flat:
- Ashburnham 39.8 Red Higher
- Athol 46.5 Red Higher
- Auburn 85.4 Red Higher
- Barre 38.5 Red Higher
- Berlin 44.3 Yellow Higher
- Blackstone 51.4 Red Higher
- Bolton 18.4 Green Lower
- Boylston 65.2 Red Higher
- Brookfield 50.4 Red Higher
- Charlton 57 Red Higher
- Chester 5.3 Gray Lower
- Clinton 70 Red Higher
- Douglas 42.2 Red Higher
- Dudley 46.4 Red Higher
- E Brookfield 44.6 Green Higher
- Fitchburg 81.1 Red Higher
- Gardner 69.7 Red Lower
- Grafton 51.5 Red Higher
- Granville 36.9 Gray Higher
- Hardwick 21.4 Gray Higher
- Harvard 10.3 Gray Lower
- Holland 47.3 Yellow Higher
- Hopedale 29.2 Yellow Lower
- Hubbardston 24.4 Yellow Higher
- Lancaster 33.3 Red Higher
- Leicester 82.4 Red Higher
- Leominster 102.6 Red Higher
- Lunenburg 53.5 Red Higher
- Mendon 53.2 Red Higher
- Middlefield 32.2 Gray No change
- Milford 71.8 Red Higher
- Millbury 80.5 Red Higher
- Millville 41.8 Yellow Higher
- New Braintree 20.2 Gray Lower
- New Salem 0 Gray Lower
- North Brookfield 37 Yellow Lower
- Northborough 86.9 Red Higher
- Northbridge 45.5 Red Higher
- Oakham 20.1 Gray Higher
- Oxford 44.7 Red Higher
- Paxton 56.2 Red Higher
- Petersham 0 Gray No change
- Phillipston 16.7 Gray No change
- Princeton 59.7 Red Higher
- Royalston 56.1 Gray Higher
- Rutland 52.5 Red Higher
- Shrewsbury 64.7 Red Higher
- Southborough 37.7 Red Lower
- Southbridge 101.8 Red Higher
- Spencer 57.3 Red Higher
- Sterling 53.6 Red Lower
- Sturbridge 40.5 Red Higher
- Sutton 67 Red Lower
- Templeton 27.7 Red Higher
- Tolland 17.2 Gray Higher
- Upton 15.5 Yellow Lower
- Uxbridge 42.6 Red Higher
- Warren 15.7 Green Higher
- Webster 71.1 Red Higher
- West Boylston 42.8 Red Lower
- West Brookfield 46.3 Yellow Higher
- Westborough 63.4 Red Higher
- Westminster 52.7 Red Higher
- Winchendon 35.2 Red Higher
- Worcester 90.5 Red Higher.
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