Cambridge-based biotech company Moderna is the first in the United States to announce a start date for its final testing of a potential coronavirus vaccine.
For the 14th 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 this week, the state provided data on the communities with the highest rates of cases per 100,000 people. This data was no longer 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 the last two weeks:
| Community | Number of cases | Cases in the last 14 days | Total number of tests in the last 14 days | Positive tests in the last 14 days | Percent of positive tests in the last 14 days |
| Lawrence | 3,686 | 146 | 3,101 | 196 | 6.32% |
| Fall River | 1,664 | 52 | 1,297 | 81 | 6.25% |
| Taunton | 992 | 17 | 521 | 25 | 4.8% |
| Chelsea | 2,977 | 50 | 1,694 | 80 | 4.72% |
| Winthrop | 297 | 39 | 867 | 40 | 4.61% |
| Lynn | 3,725 | 72 | 2,766 | 116 | 4.19% |
| Agawam | 480 | 24 | 694 | 29 | 4.18% |
| Revere | 1,838 | 39 | 1,424 | 59 | 4.14% |
| New Bedford | 2,167 | 22 | 1,357 | 56 | 4.13% |
| Brockton | 4,275 | 35 | 1,635 | 64 | 3.91% |
| West Springfield | 391 | 16 | 488 | 17 | 3.48% |
| Billerica | 572 | 21 | 794 | 27 | 3.4% |
| Springfield | 2,919 | 70 | 2,986 | 101 | 3.38% |
| Randolph | 967 | 19 | 674 | 22 | 3.26% |
| Lowell | 2,958 | 52 | 2,759 | 82 | 2.97% |
| Chicopee | 469 | 28 | 1,000 | 29 | 2.9% |
| Malden | 1,267 | 26 | 1,366 | 36 | 2.64% |
| Holyoke | 942 | 25 | 1,233 | 32 | 2.6% |
| Worcester | 5,352 | 84 | 5,105 | 131 | 2.57% |
| Methuen | 1,050 | 19 | 1,101 | 28 | 2.54% |
| Quincy | 1,167 | 30 | 1,698 | 40 | 2.36% |
| Boston | 14,316 | 304 | 18,043 | 416 | 2.31% |
| Peabody | 1,013 | 18 | 1,339 | 28 | 2.09% |
| Everett | 1,800 | 36 | 2,416 | 45 | 1.86% |
| Framingham | 1,756 | 14 | 1,074 | 20 | 1.86% |
Data from between July 1, 2020, and July 15, 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.
The numbers in Lawrence are particularly noteworthy. As part of the "Stop the Spread" initiative, it is one of eight communities that began offering free testing last week. In the last 14 days, only Boston, Worcester and Springfield saw more tests administered, but 6.32% of the tests in Lawrence came back positive — the highest rate in the state among communities with at least 15 new cases. Fall River, also part of the initiative, followed with a rate of 6.25%.
Take a closer look at last week's list.
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