R.I. COVID-19 cases rise by 875, with 1 death

PROVIDENCE – Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Rhode Island increased by 875, with one new death, the R.I. Department of Health said Tuesday.

Hospitalizations of COVID-19 total 203, an increase from 184 reported on Monday. Of those hospitalized, 29 are in intensive care units and 15 are on ventilators. It’s the first time since Feb. 15 that hospitalizations have exceeded 200 patients in the state.

There have been 583.8 new cases per 100,000 Rhode Island residents in the previous seven days, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines as “high transmission.”

Despite the increased figures, the case numbers and hospitalizations are still fewer than from a year ago.

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By comparison, there were 962 new cases identified on Dec. 6, 2020, which was a Sunday. There were 494 COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the time, 48 of whom were in the ICU and 25 were on ventilators. The transmission rate then was 875.3 cases per 100,000 residents.

To date, there have been 776,060 individuals fully vaccinated in the state and 1.8 million total COVID-19 vaccine doses administered.

Confirmed cases in the state now total 198,036, an increase of 1,087 from figures reported Monday, accounting for the day-to-day increases and data revisions for previous days.

There have been 2,949 deaths due to the virus in Rhode Island.

There were 14,179 tests processed on Monday with a positive rate of 6.2%. There have been 6.17 million tests administered in the state.

The department also released its three weekly COVID-19 metrics Tuesday, with all three worsening week to week.

  • The positive rate was 5.2% last week, a rise from 4.8% from one week prior.
  • New hospital admissions of COVID-19 patients in the state totaled 168, a rise from 143 one week prior.
  • New cases per 100,000 residents totaled 570 last week, a rise from 320 one week prior.