'Disturbing Trend:' Melrose COVID Numbers Reach New Highs

MELROSE, MA — The coronavirus is spreading at previously unseen levels in Melrose, with more than a fifth of the city's total cases coming in just the past two weeks.

Melrose remained a yellow-designated community in the state's new color coding, but the numbers are alarming.

There are 507 cases, 67 more than last week's update. The average daily incidence rate per 100,000 doubled to 25.4, while the positivity rate increased over 1 percent to 2.97 percent. Both numbers are easily all-time highs since the start of the pandemic.

"That is a pretty disturbing trend," Mayor Paul Brodeur said in a video Thursday night. "The best ways to mitigate the spread include wearing face coverings, maintaining social distance, practicing good hygiene regardless of how you feel, and staying home if you have any symptoms."

Melrose isn't alone in the worsening pandemic. The statewide average daily case rate per 100,000 residents leapt to 29.7, while the number of high-risk communities more than doubled from 30 to 62.

Related: Latest Town-By-Town Coronavirus Numbers