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HINGHAM (WBZNewsRadio) - COVID-19 cases are on the rise on the South Shore. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, cases are up nearly 39 percent, rising for the 4th straight week, in 23 municipalities.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the region over the last two weeks was 1,386, which is up from 1,000 in the previous reporting period. Those numbers are more than 2.5 times the case count reported on March 19, which was a low point in 2022.
Hingham saw an increase of 66 cases with a positivity rate of 19.6 percent. As school vacation week comes to an end, local parents told WBZ's Jim Mackay they're worried about their kids heading back to the classrooms where masks are no longer required. Schools across the state are now able to make their own decisions when it comes to requiring masks or not.
Cheryl, a Hingham resident and mother says her daughter is immunocompromised and still wears a mask to school even with the mandate no longer in effect.
"I don't know how to send her, if she doesn't feel safe." She said.
It's not just the South Shore, COVID-19 cases have been on the rise across the state. 2,582 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Thursday, bringing the total cases for last week to 13,802, which is a 32 percent increase over the week prior with 10,426 cases.
The state's count only include cases confirmed in a lab, not cases reported via home kits.
There is good news as the state reports hospitalizations have remained relatively stable, with only a slight increase over the last few weeks.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified three Massachusetts counties, Suffolk, Middlesex and Berkshire, to be at medium-risk for transmission. The remaining 11 counties in the state remain at low risk. The CDC determines risk levels by looking at specific data involving hospital bed usage, hospital admissions and new COVID-19 cases reported in the area.
WBZ's Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports
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