The Mission Hill/Roxbury COVID-19 infection rate between August and September rose 8.5 percent. This was up from the 6 percent increase that occurred in the neighborhood between July and August.
According to data released last Friday by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) the COVID-19 infection rate here jumped from 240 cases per 10,000 residents to an infection rate of 260.6 cases per 10,000 residents in one month.
There were 1,124 COVID-19 cases in Mission Hill/ Roxbury as of last Friday, an increase of 89 cases from the 1,035 cases reported by the end of July.
The stats released by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) as part of its weekly COVID-19 report breaks down the number of cases and infection rates in each neighborhood. It also breaks down the number of cases by age, gender and race. Updated results are released on the BPHC’s website on Friday afternoons.
Last week the BPHC reported that 12,602Mission Hill/Roxbury residents were tested for COVID-19 and the data shows that only 2.6 percent of those tested in the area were COVID positive. Overall since the pandemic began 9.2 percent of Mission Hill/Roxbury residents were found to be COVID positive.
Last week, Mayor Martin Walsh addressed the ongoing psychological impact COVID-19 has had on residents in Boston.
“Let’s remember what people are going through,” said Walsh. “People are experiencing illness in themselves and loved ones; fear of COVID that many have anxiety around; financial stress around lost income, struggling small businesses, and people in fear of losing their home. And then there’s the toll of systemic racism. Many residents experience it personally and they also see continual footage of violence against Black and Brown people on social media. All of it together is taking a tremendous toll. It’s showing up in mental health concerns and physical health concerns. It’s playing a role in domestic violence and street violence. And people are struggling with substance use. For anyone in recovery or interested in recovery, recovery meetings are online and now some meetings are happening in person, outdoors. You can reach out to AA or NA to find a meeting, or contact our Office of Recovery Services by calling 311.”
Walsh reminded the public that these are not normal times and a tendency toward conflict will not serve us well in every situation right now.”
“I ask everyone to work together in a spirit of unity and I urge everyone to be kind to yourself and others,” the Mayor added. “Let’s take it a day at a time.”
Citywide positive cases of coronavirus rose 2.5 percent last week from 15,232 cases to 15,673 cases. So far 12,025 Boston residents have fully recovered from the virus and six additional residents died last week bringing the total of fatalities in the city to 754.