PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island remains on track to open eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccines on April 5 to all residents in their 50s and anticipates releasing 25,000 vaccine appointments next week, according to state officials.
The state will release 12,000 vaccine appointments on Friday, in addition, according to Gov. Daniel J. McKee.
Public health officials remain concerned about the state’s infections, which had remained at a plateau for many weeks, and which recently have started to rise upward, according to Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the R.I. Department of Health director.
The state estimates that 40% of its current infections are related to more infectious variants. And the most common is expected to account for most infections in Rhode Island this month, she said. Last week, the positivity percentage for tested residents was 2.4%, up from 2 percent.
“Our case numbers have plateaued. That plateau is now starting to have a slightly upward slope,” she said. “It is also the case in many other states.”
Despite the increased infections, McKee said the state will not be scaling back its efforts to reopen the economy. Rhode Island will continue to take a measured approach, he said.
“We’re going to keep on this incremental approach,” McKee said. “Other states have taken a more aggressive point of view. We are not tracking back, but we are not going to get ahead of ourselves, so we put ourselves in that position.”
As of April 26, he said, the state will allow child care providers to reopen fully, at 100 percent capacity. Additional information on the reopening of K-12 schools will be made next week at the briefing, he said. The state has a goal of reopening schools this year.
Cases of COVID-19 increased by 383 on Wednesday, with five new deaths, Scott said. Although hospitalizations and deaths have not begun to trend upward, she said that those often follow infections by a few weeks.
Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients in the state totaled 131, a rise of six day to day. Of those hospitalized, 15 were in an intensive care unit, an increase of one from one day prior, and nine were on a ventilator, level with Wednesday.
There have been 562,752 total COVID-19 doses administered in the state to date, a rise of 15,949 day to day. To date, 229,468 individuals have been fully vaccinated against the virus in the state, a rise of 8,238 day to day.
Cases in the state have totaled 137,848 to date, a rise of 519 from figures reported Wednesday, accounting for both the day-to-day increase, as well as data revisions for previous days.
Deaths due to the virus in Rhode Island have totaled 2,624 to date.
There were 18,109 tests processed Wednesday, with an overall positive rate of 2.1%. When excluding both repeat positive and repeat negative test results, the positive rate was 19.5%.
There have been 3.54 million tests administered in Rhode Island to date to 848,642 individuals.
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at MacDonald@PBN.com.
Updated to include details from the state COVID-19 press conference.
