Boston Surpasses 20K Cases, 1 Percent Positive Test Rate

BOSTON — The city's remains at high-risk of COVID-19 spread as coronavirus numbers continue to elevate.

Boston has now seen 20,457 confirmed cases, according to the state's data released Thursday. That's an increase of 950 cases from just last week.

The average daily incidence rate per 100,000 residents is 15.8, nearly double what it needs to be to escape high-risk status.

The city's positive test rate is 1.01 percent. There were 178,525 tests performed the past two weeks, but Mayor Marty Walsh has been stressing residents need to get tested.

"I am asking everyone to commit to getting tested for COVID-19," Walsh said Thursday. "Getting tested is how you keep yourself and your family safe. It's also how we track the presence of the virus in our community. We need the most accurate picture we can get, so we can focus our response in the most effective way."

Walsh said eligible city workers will be paid for one hour every 14 days to get tested during work hours. He asked companies to consider a similar plan to encourage employees to get tested.

Find testing sites in Boston here.