Rhode Island's Coronavirus Plateau Continues

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island's coronavirus holding pattern continued for another week, according to the latest date from the state's Department of Health. For more than a month, the state's percent positivity rate has hovered around 2 percent, while hospitalizations and case numbers have generally held steady.

Over the past week, the state's percent positivity rate was 2.1 percent, just 0.1 percentage point higher than the week prior. That number — which is less than half the safe threshold of 5 percent — has held stead for over a month now, which the director of the Department of Health called a good sign.

Following a slight uptick in new hospitalizations the week of March 13, that number decreased this past week, falling from 142 to 113. Although cases per 100,000 people have remained consistently above the safe threshold of 100 or fewer, that number has also held steady for about a month, currently at 225.

Related: How Has RI Handled The Coronavirus Pandemic? Patch Survey

This week's data is consistent with what Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott called a plateau during last week's news conference. Although numbers are no longer sharply declining, as was the case in mid-February, the data is holding steady at generally promising numbers, she said.

The plateau also coincides with the state's latest reopening measures, which took effect on Friday. Under the new rules, most businesses are allowed greater capacity, catered events such as weddings have more flexibility and the social gathering limit is once again set at 15 people indoors.

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