BURRILLVILLE – Burrillville is behind other cities and town in Rhode Island on the percent of the residents who have received their first vaccination against COVID-19, according to the latest data released by the Rhode Island Department of Health.
As of Tuesday, Feb. 23, 1,919 Burrillville residents had received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 14 percent of the population. Only seven of the state’s 39 municipalities fall behind the town on the figure, with Tiverton and nearby Woonsocket at the back of the pack, at 10.6 and 11.3 percent, respectively.
In the city of Central Falls, where the state targeted early vaccination efforts due to high rates of the virus, 32.8 percent of people are now at least partially vaccinated. East Greenwich comes in second place, with 24.3 percent of residents receiving their first dose.
Neighboring North Smithfield has 16 percent of its population partially vaccinated, and Glocester’s rate stands just above Burrillville’s at 14.3 percent.
In terms of second doses, Burrillville stands roughly on average with other Rhode Island communities at 6.6 percent or 908 residents.
The current number of positive cases in town, meanwhile, is now above the state average. Between Feb. 14 and Feb. 20, when the statewide rate of new cases dropped to 191 per 100,000, Burrillville’s rose to 249 per 100,000. North Smithfield’s, by comparison, dropped to a rate of 146 for every hundred thousand.
While rates in town have roughly mirrored trends seen statewide in recent months, a spike in early December in Burrillville was also significant. Between Nov. 29 and Dec. 5, Burrillville was calculated to have 1,033 cases if population was adjusted to 100,000, while the state reported a rate 769, with data from congregate care settings removed.
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities both in and out of town have seen a large drop in case numbers since vaccination efforts began. All except one facility in Rhode Island – Respiratory and Rehabilitation Center of RI in Coventry – reported fewer than five new cases in the past two weeks.
Still, the virus has taken an undeniable toll on Burrillville residents in congregate care over the past year. Bayberry Commons saw between 40 and 44 cumulative cases since last March, with between 10 and 14 deaths. Crystal Lake Rehabilitation & Care Center also had between 40 and 44 cases, but reported between 15 and 19 deaths. And Overlook Nursing and Rehab Center had between 80 and 84 cases and 25 to 29 deaths.
All three facilities reported no new cases in the past two weeks.
RIDOH data shows that 1,644 Burrillville residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, with roughly 50 percent of the population checked for the virus.
Complete data from the RIDOH including breakdowns by community can be found here.
