Peabody Coronavirus Case Count Trends In Good Direction

PEABODY, MA — Peabody was one of 118 communities across the state that got some encouraging news from coronavirus test-positive rates the state released on Wednesday.

Two weeks after the town registered a 2.88 percent positive rate over 14 days, with 6.66 cases per 100,000 residents, the latest figures painted a better picture with Peabody at a 1.95 positive rate and at 5.12 cases per 100,000 residents.

Peabody will have to get to below 4 cases per 100,000 residents to be designed as a "green" community.

About a third of Massachusetts communities had their positive coronavirus test rates increase over the last two weeks, according to new town-by-town data released by the state Wednesday.

The latest town-by-town data showed the positive test rate over the last two weeks increased in 100— or 28 percent — of the 351 communities in the state. The rate fell in 118, or 34 percent, communities and held steady in the remaining 133.

View the state's interactive map here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch Field Editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)