Chelmsford Coronavirus Positive Rate Returns To Red Zone

CHELMSFORD, MA — Chelmsford's coronavirus metrics continue to rise dramatically pushing it once again into the red, or high risk for contagion zone after weeks hovering in the yellow.

The news comes as the vaccination drive shows progress, according to the latest town-by-town reports from the state.

The town's positive test rate over the last two weeks was 5.10 percent, up more than a percentage points from 4.15 in last week's report. The town had 181 cases in that period, up from 137 last week.

But the latest vaccine report, with data through Tuesday, is promising: one-quarter of the town's residents have been fully vaccinated. Forty-two percent have received at least one dose, including 70 percent of residents over 70.

>>Town-By-Town Coronavirus: 77 High-Risk, But Positive Rate Falls

Massachusetts reported a growing number of high-risk communities in the latest town-by-town report Thursday, but statewide metrics including the positive rate fell over the last week.

The Department of Public Health labeled 77 communities as high risk for the coronavirus, up from 55 in the previous report. The risk classifications are based on two weeks of data. The full list of high-risk communities is available at the end of this article.

The seven-day average positive test rate for the state fell to 2.29 percent, from 2.60 percent a week prior. The weekly average case rate and death rate also fell.

The latest vaccine report shows the number of Massachusetts residents who are fully vaccinated has risen to 1.62 million. Another 1.1 million have received one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.