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.
