RI Sees Steep Drop In COVID-19 Hospitalizations; Case Rates Drop

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island's most recent COVID-19 spike is seeing some improvement, according to the latest data from the Department of Health. The state saw a steep drop in hospitalizations over the past week, while case rates held steady.

New hospital admissions fell by more than 50 over the past week, according to the latest weekly data. The drop came a week after new admissions spiked to 148 the week of Sept. 4.

The state's percent positivity rate has fallen over recent weeks, as well. After peaking at 3.6 percent the week of Aug. 14, the overall percent positivity rate has been on the decline, falling to 2.5 percent this week.

Case numbers, meanwhile, have slowly climbed throughout the summer. After a sharp increase from late July into early August, the case rate per 100,000 people has continued to slowly rise. Since last week, the rate increased to 213 per 100,000 people, up six from the week before.

Gov. Dan McKee and Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Department of Health, are set to hold a COVID-19-focused news conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday, to discuss the latest developments in the state.