Boston will stop giving residents $75 for COVID vaccines and boosters, virus wastewater data plunges

If you’re looking to get a COVID vaccine or booster in the city, you only have a few more weeks to also take home $75 while getting the jab.

The Boston Public Health Commission’s $75 COVID shot incentive expires at the end of March.

“Attention residents! The $75 gift card incentive for COVID-19 vaccination/boosters at our standing sites is ending,” the Boston Public Health Commission tweeted on Thursday. “The last day you can get a $75 gift card is March 31. To find a standing site near you, visit boston.gov/covid19-vaccine.”

People who have not received a COVID booster since August 2022 are due to get the updated bivalent booster.

Meanwhile, the city’s virus wastewater data is continuing to take a plunge. Data from the city’s wastewater surveillance program shows that the number of COVID particles in the wastewater dropped 64% over the past two weeks.

The citywide average is now 496 viral RNA copies per milliliter, down from 897 viral RNA copies a week ago.

On Thursday, the state Department of Public Health reported 2,703 virus cases over the last week. The daily average of 386 COVID cases from the last week was a 19% decline from the daily rate of 479 virus infections during the previous week.

The Bay State’s positive test average decreased again last week. The seven-day positive test rate is now 4.85%, down from 5.88% last week.

The state Department of Public Health on Thursday also reported that 458 total patients are hospitalized with COVID, which is a drop of 86 patients from this time last week.

The state reported 61 new COVID deaths over the past week, bringing the state’s total to 24,333 recorded deaths since the start of the pandemic. The daily average of deaths is now seven, which had been up in recent weeks.

More than 5.6 million people in the state have been fully vaccinated, and more than 3.5 million people have received at least one booster dose. Also, the state reported that more than 1.6 million additional booster doses have been administered.