BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The state Department of Public Health has released more granular information about COVID-19 rates for individual communities throughout Massachusetts.
According to the DPH's Weekly Public Health Report, the Commonwealth has close to 105,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus. As of July 8th, roughly 13 percent of the state's cases were in the city of Boston.
The five cities with the highest numbers of confirmed cases are:
1) Boston
2) Worcester
3) Brockton
4) Lynn
5) Lawrence
While Boston has the highest number of confirmed cases in the state, it does not have one of the highest rates of infection based on its population.
The five cities with the highest rates of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents are:
1) Chelsea
2) Brockton
3) Lawrence
4) Everett
5) Lynn
On Wednesday, Gov. Baker announced a new initiative to increase all residents' access to free COVID-19 testing, including peoples without any symptoms of the virus.
Baker's new "Stop the Spread" initiative will provide mobile testing units from July 10 to August 14 in eight cities; Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Marlborough, and New Bedford.
While several of those cities have some of the highest rates of infection in the state, all of them are above the state average in total cases and positive test rates, and have experienced a recent decline in testing levels.
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