COVID-19: Community RI transmission rate quadrupled in past 3 weeks

PROVIDENCE, RI (WPRI) – While hospitalization and death rates from COVID-19 have remained low in Rhode Island, the state continues to experience a steady stream of infections.

For the third day in a row, the rate of positive tests Thursday stood at 1.8%, with 88 new cases detected and less than 5,000 tests administered the day before, according to new data from the RI’s Ministry of Health.

The rate of new cases per 100,000 population over a seven-day period, which is used to track community transmission of the virus, has more than quadrupled to 41.3 since the start of the month.

Another Rhode Islander has died after contracting COVID-19, data shows, as the number of hospitalizations fell to 17, with three patients currently in intensive care and two on ventilators.

Additionally, nearly 67% of all Rhode Islanders are at least partially vaccinated to date, while around 61% are considered fully vaccinated.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health revealed the number of cases linked to the highly contagious delta variant had tripled to 42. These cases are detected by sequencing a portion of the new cases each week, so the confirmed cases are only a sample size.

Dr Philip Chan, consultant medical director at the Department of Health, said the delta variant is likely the dominant strain in the state right now.

More than 250 cases in Massachusetts have been linked to an outbreak in Provincetown. The state is asking anyone who has recently visited the Cape Cod resort town to get tested.