PROVIDENCE – Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Rhode Island increased by 2,152 from Dec. 25-31, with seven new deaths, the R.I. Department of Health said Thursday.
The department has switched from reporting data on COVID-19 statistics five days a week to a weekly report. Numbers are now reported Sunday through Saturday of the previous week. No numbers were reported Dec. 18-24 due to the Christmas holiday.
New hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients totaled 154 last week, compared with 122 reported the week of Dec. 11-17. Of the 140 hospitalized on Dec. 31, 12 were in intensive care and five were ventilated.
There were 203 new cases per 100,000 persons reported in Rhode Island from Dec. 25-31.
By comparison, there were 18,127 new cases identified from Dec. 25-31 in 2021. The transmission rate on Dec. 31, 2021, was 1,715 cases per 100,000 persons.
There have been 924,737 individuals who have completed the primary vaccine series, which is about 87% of Rhode Island residents.
Deaths due to the virus in Rhode Island total 3,789.
There were 14,809 tests processed from Dec. 25-31, with 8.6 million tests administered in Rhode Island since the start of the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Dec. 30 listed the COVID-19 threat level in two Rhode Island counties, Kent County and Providence County, as high.
Threat levels are determined in part by case rates and hospital admissions per 100,000 people.
Rhode Island’s three other counties, Bristol County, Newport County and Washington County, remain at medium threat level.
