Reading Coronavirus Rate Above State Average

READING, MA — Amid a statewide uptick in coronavirus cases, infections are also rising in Reading, according to state data. The town is also well above the statewide case rate.

This week, Reading had a positive test rate of 7.89 percent, up from 6.56 percent last week. Massachusetts reported a statewide rate of 5.1 percent.

Also over the past week, Reading was averaging 59.6 new cases per day per 100,000 people. That's up from the average daily rate of 43.1 measured in Reading on Dec. 2.

The state Department of Public Health reported 5,472 new coronavirus cases statewide and 27 new deaths Thursday afternoon. The number of new cases in the state has been above 5,000 per day for much of the week, a level not seen in almost a year.

The latest vaccine report shows the number of residents who are fully vaccinated has risen to 4.96 million. About 72 percent of Reading residents are fully vaccinated, and 81 percent are partially vaccinated.

The state releases town-by-town testing data every Thursday, including the number of people tested, the testing rate, the positive test rate, cases and infection rates.