Woonsocket Radio News Room

CDC Updates COVID-19 Community Levels for Rhode Island Counties

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated the COVID-19 community levels for Rhode Island’s counties. Four counties – Bristol County, Kent County, Newport County, and Washington County – are at the “medium” level. (Kent County and Newport County decreased from being “high” last week.) Providence County still has the “high” designation.

Each week the CDC identifies the COVID-19 community level in every county in the country as “low,” “medium,” or “high” using case rates, data on hospital admissions, and percentage of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. Regardless of the designation of someone’s county, everyone should take certain prevention measures. 

• Stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccination, including booster doses. The Omicron booster doses currently being administered are providing good protection against the dominant variant circulating in Rhode Island.
• Ventilate indoor spaces as well as possible. 
• Avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19. 
• Follow recommendations for isolation if you have suspected or confirmed COVID-19. 
• Follow the recommendations for what to do if you are exposed to someone with COVID-19. 
• If you are at high risk of getting very sick, talk with a healthcare provider about additional prevention actions. 

Additionally, CDC recommends that people in “medium” counties consider self-testing and masking when around those who are at high risk for getting very sick. CDC recommends that people in “high” counties wear high-quality masks while in crowded, indoor public settings. (This is a recommendation, not a requirement.) The full recommendations by community level from the CDC are available online.