Middlesex County's COVID-19 cases up 42.1%; Massachusetts cases surge 51.7%
Another surge?
New cases of the coronavirus rose sharply in both Middlesex County and statewide last week, as a new and highly contagious mutation takes hold.
Middlesex County reported 3,902 new cases last week, up 42.1% from the 2,745 reported a week earlier, according to a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Six deaths were reported last week, up from four a week before that. Throughout the pandemic, the county has reported 331,797 cases and 3,961 deaths.
The statewide increase was even sharper, rising 51.7% to 14,469 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. Thirty-three people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday, up from 28 deaths reported the previous week.
Infections and hospitalizations from the virus are again climbing as the BA.2 omicron subvariant — which is considered even more contagious than its predecessor — becomes the predominant strain.
In Worcester County, 1,280 new cases were reported last week, up 61.6% from the 792 reported the previous week. There were four deaths last week, compared with none the previous week.
And in Norfolk County, there were 1,375 new cases reported last week, up 42.5% from the previous week's total of 965. Five deaths were reported last week, compared with none the week before.
Massachusetts now ranks third nationally in terms of where the coronavirus is spreading fastest on a per-person basis, the Johns Hopkins University data show. Nationally, cases actually declined 10% last week.
With 2.1% of the country's population, Massachusetts now has 6.4% of the country's cases. Across the country, 31 states had more cases last week than they did the week before.
Within Massachusetts, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Hampshire County, with 287 cases per 100,000 per week; Suffolk County, with 284; and Middlesex County, with 242. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Weekly case counts rose in 12 counties from the previous week, with the most increases from the prior week's pace occurring in Middlesex, Suffolk and Worcester counties.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Massachusetts is second nationally in its share of people receiving at least one shot, with 97.7% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.3%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data show. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.
A total of 1,724,369 people in Massachusetts have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 20,176 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data show. In the United States 80,632,301 people have tested positive and 988,618 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
Massachusetts' COVID-19 hospital admissions rising
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday.
Likely COVID-19 patients admitted in the state:
Last week: 878
The week before that: 806
Four weeks ago: 751
Likely COVID-19 patients admitted in the nation:
Last week: 38,545
The week before that: 37,371
Four weeks ago: 41,914
Hospitals in 22 states reported more COVID-19 patients than they did a week earlier, while hospitals in 15 states reported more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 32 states admitted more COVID-19 patients last week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Middlesex County reported 3,902 additional COVID-19 cases this week
