BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has started reporting coronavirus case numbers on a town-by-town basis, according to the Baker Administration.
Until now, the state has been reporting the numbers of cases and deaths on a county-by-county basis every day, but it has avoided giving more localized information. The additional town-by-town data will be released weekly on Wednesdays at around 4 p.m. on the state's COVID-19 website.
The change was announced Wednesday morning by Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, head of the state's Coronavirus Command Center.
“Having the ability to look at this virus through the lens of its impact on specific cities and towns will help us to identify potential hot spots," Sudders said. "[It will] inform the public health response, assist cities and towns working to slow the spread and help the state appropriately deploy resources."
Sudders said the state will not release the number of positive cases if there are fewer than five cases in a municipality of 50,000 or less, in order to protect privacy.
The first release of the localized coronavirus data included information from January 1 until April 14, and accounted for more than 28,000 cases in the state.
The city with the highest rate of coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents was Chelsea, followed by Brockton, Randolph, Williamstown, and Lawrence.
By the numbers, Boston had the most case with 4,609, Brockton had 1,202, Worcester had 884, Lawrence had 814, Lynn had 745 cases, and Chelsea had 712 cases.
To find the state's complete listing or case counts and rates of infection, click here.
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