Melrose Coronavirus Numbers Still Increasing Ahead Of Easter

MELROSE, MA — More than 100 residents tested positive for the coronavirus over the past two weeks as the virus continued its spread ahead of Easter weekend.

Thursday's weekly numbers from the Department of Public Health leveled off after a concerning increase the past few weeks. The positivity rate ticked up from 2.84 percent to 2.91 percent while the average daily incidences per 100,000 dropped from 28.6 to 27.8.

But there were still 113 residents who tested positive over the last 14 days, bringing the total to 1,918 since the start of the pandemic. That number could reach 2,000 by next week's update.

More than 10,600 residents have received at least one vaccination shot, according to separate numbers released Thursday. That means 37 percent of the city has been at least partially vaccinated.

Twenty-two percent of the city has been fully vaccinated. Nearly half of the 6,476 people fully vaccinated are 65 and over.

People 55-64 and over will be among those eligible for vaccinations beginning Monday.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.