Rhode Island Sets New Single-Day Record For Coronavirus Cases

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island set a new record for coronavirus cases this week, marking more than 2,000 in a single day. This far outstripped the previous record, set the week prior.

On Tuesday, the state saw 2,379 new COVID-19 cases, 665 cases higher than the previous record of 1,714 set Dec. 21.

The record comes amid another major pandemic spike in Rhode Island. During Christmas week, the percent positivity rate jumped to 7.2 percent, up a full percent point from the week before. Cases numbers, meanwhile, rose from 731 to 785 per 100,000 people.

Daily data showed a more bleak picture. On Tuesday, the percent positivity rate was 12.7 percent, with five deaths.

Hospitalizations, meanwhile, have declined slightly over the past three weeks. Since peaking at 260 the week of Dec. 11, they have fallen slowly to 243. Despite this, hospitals remain stretched thin, Gov. Dan McKee said recently, due to major staffing shortages.

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