Melrose's COVID-19 Battle Far From Over

MELROSE, MA — Earlier this week Health Director Ruth Clay called the COVID-19 numbers in the city "troubling." Now we see why.

The Department of Public Health on Thursday released its weekly coronavirus metrics, and they were up across the board in Melrose after weeks of decline.

The positive test rate in melrose went from 1.41 percent to 2.22 percent, while the average daily incidence rate per 100,000 residents increased from 14 to 23.2.

There were 94 cases over the past two weeks, bringing the total to 1,806 since the start of the pandemic.

Numbers have been on the rise across the state.

"These numbers hopefully reflect on anomaly based as on the February school vacation break," Mayor Paul Brodeur said in a video. "While restrictions have been eased, I urge families to continue to follow social distancing and masking guidelines, limit interactions with large groups, and cooperate with contact tracers."

Brodeur also asked people to limit their April vacation travel as the district continues expanding in-person learning.

More than 8,300 Melrose residents have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to DPH numbers Thursday. That's a 28.7 vaccination rate for the city.

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.