Sharp Rise Seen In Marlborough Coronavirus Cases: Data

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Coronavirus cases in Marlborough are continuing to rise, according to data released Monday by the city health department, and active cases are now at the highest level since early June.

Marlborough was seeing 17.4 new cases per day on average over the past two weeks (per 100,000 people) as of Monday. That's up from the 13.8 new cases per day on average reported on Friday.

With daily cases so high, Marlborough will almost certainly remain on the state Department of Health's list of "high-risk" communities. The city would need to be below 8 cases per day on average for three weeks to be removed.

Marlborough was added to the high-risk list on Sept. 24.

The number of active cases was up to 80 citywide on Monday. That's the highest dating back to June 8, when there 101 active cases. Marlborough also reported two new deaths since Friday, bringing the pandemic death toll to 72.

The average age of people infected with coronavirus is skewing younger. About 28 percent of the active cases right now are in people under age 19, with the highest share — 25 percent — in people between 5 and 19. No other age group makes up such a large share of active cases, according to health data.

The reproductive rate of the virus, called the "R naught", is also high in Marlborough. Any R above 1.0 means the virus can spread quickly — Marlborough's R is up to 1.13, higher than the statewide average of 1.10.