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For the 17th straight week, the state Department of Public Health released a breakdown of the total number of coronavirus cases in each Massachusetts city and town.
Until mid-July, the state provided data on the communities with the highest rates of cases per 100,000 people. This data is no longer being included, but some new information offers a snapshot of cases in recent weeks.
Among cities and towns with at least 15 new cases in the last two weeks, these 25 communities have the highest percentages of positive cases in that time period:
| Community | Number of cases | Cases in the last 14 days | Total tests in the last 14 days | Positive tests in the last 14 days | Percent of positive tests in the last 14 days |
| Lynn | 4,020 | 223 | 4,543 | 278 | 6.12% |
| Revere | 2,021 | 126 | 2,562 | 155 | 6.05% |
| Brockton | 4,426 | 79 | 2,540 | 130 | 5.12% |
| Chelsea | 3,106 | 93 | 2,274 | 112 | 4.93% |
| Everett | 1,894 | 68 | 1,701 | 82 | 4.82% |
| Saugus | 603 | 33 | 983 | 43 | 4.37% |
| Wrentham | 220 | 15 | 383 | 16 | 4.18% |
| Chicopee | 541 | 43 | 1,519 | 58 | 3.82% |
| Fall River | 1,818 | 84 | 3,157 | 112 | 3.55% |
| Lawrence | 3,824 | 98 | 3,414 | 119 | 3.49% |
| Malden | 1,331 | 45 | 1,834 | 60 | 3.27% |
| Quincy | 1,289 | 75 | 2,617 | 85 | 3.25% |
| Randolph | 998 | 25 | 1,015 | 33 | 3.25% |
| Attleboro | 700 | 18 | 713 | 21 | 2.95% |
| Taunton | 1,051 | 49 | 1,964 | 55 | 2.8% |
| Framingham | 1,827 | 42 | 2,012 | 56 | 2.78% |
| Springfield | 3,076 | 92 | 4,304 | 118 | 2.74% |
| Peabody | 1,070 | 39 | 2,060 | 51 | 2.48% |
| Worcester | 5,579 | 151 | 7,585 | 186 | 2.45% |
| Agawam | 506 | 19 | 1,034 | 25 | 2.42% |
| Salem | 685 | 35 | 1,573 | 38 | 2.42% |
| West Springfield | 411 | 15 | 688 | 16 | 2.33% |
| Holyoke | 1,007 | 40 | 2,299 | 53 | 2.31% |
| Westfield | 493 | 20 | 985 | 22 | 2.23% |
| New Bedford | 2,258 | 46 | 2,722 | 60 | 2.2% |
Data from between July 22, 2020, and Aug. 5, 2020, omitting communities with under 15 new cases in that span. The state notes that previous reports were based on the number of people who tested positive, but this percentage is instead based on the total number of positive tests. Both tallies are listed in the chart above.
Lynn had the highest rate of positive tests among qualifying communities. Since last week, the city's rate increased from 4.39% to 6.12%. Revere, which led last week's list, decreased from 6.25% to 6.05%. Brockton, which had 4.16% positive tests a week earlier, came in third with 5.12% this week.
The state's overall rate has fluctuated. In the last 14 days, 1.82% of tests in Massachusetts have come back positive. The rate of recent positive tests was 1.74% on July 29, 1.67% on July 22 and 1.91% on July 15. Both the total numbers of tests and the number of positive tests in the state have increased in each of those data sets.
Take a closer look at last week's list.
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