The Boston-area COVID wastewater levels continue to surge in the days before holiday gatherings, as virus case counts keep rising and health officials urge people to get boosters and flu shots.
The virus wastewater data is the earliest indicator of COVID cases at the community level. The local levels have been going up for weeks, especially after Thanksgiving, and the data has continued to spike in the last week.
The seven-day average in the south-of-Boston region is now 1,347 viral copies per milliliter, which is up 87% since Thanksgiving. The north-of-Boston region’s seven-day average is now 1,179 viral copies per milliliter, which is a 144% surge. The sewage data has helped predict waves throughout the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Bay State’s daily average of 1,199 COVID cases from the last week is up 12% from the daily rate of 1,071 virus infections during the previous week.
The state’s positive test average is rising again. The seven-day positive test rate is now 8.68%, up from 7.85% last week.
The state on Thursday also reported that 856 total patients are hospitalized with COVID, which is an increase of 90 patients from this time last week.
The state reported 81 new COVID deaths over the past week, bringing the state’s total to 22,683 recorded deaths since the start of the pandemic. The daily average of deaths is now nine, which is lower than the daily death rate during the initial omicron surge.
More than 5.6 million people in the state have been fully vaccinated, and more than 3.4 million people have received at least one booster dose. Also, the state reported that more than 1.4 million additional booster doses have been administered.
Public health officials are urging residents to get COVID boosters and flu shots, with flu activity higher than usual so far this year.
“This flu season, residents can protect themselves and their families by getting a flu vaccine even if they haven’t gotten a vaccine in years past,” said Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke. “It’s easy to get your flu shot along with your COVID-19 booster if you’re eligible for one, and both vaccines are widely available.”
The CDC estimates that there have already been 13 million cases, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 7,300 deaths due to flu this season.
Flu severity is now considered “very high” in Massachusetts. The last time flu severity was “very high” in the Bay State was at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
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