RI reports 1,525 new coronavirus infections, 6 more deaths after holiday

Posted: Nov 27, 2020 / 02:02 PM EST / Updated: Nov 27, 2020 / 02:37 PM EST

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The R.I. Department of Health says 1,525 more people tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday and Thursday, as the agency released combined data for two days following the Thanksgiving holiday.

While the number of new infections dropped from 1,062 on Wednesday to 463 on Thanksgiving, the positivity rate actually rose from 5.4% to 6.8% because testing was down by roughly two-thirds on the holiday. The department also added 115 previously undisclosed cases to the totals for prior days.

State-operated testing sites closed at noon Wednesday and reopened on Friday at 9 a.m. CVS testing sites were also closed on Thanksgiving day.

COVID-19 Tracking: Maps, Charts, Interactive Data »

The latest data shows 319 COVID-19 patients were in the hospital in Rhode Island as of Wednesday, down from 367 on Monday, which was only 10 below the all-time record set back in April. (Hospital numbers are reported with a two-day lag.)

NEW: @RIHealth out with COVID data for Weds+Thurs

• 1,525 new cases; daily avg still down

• Hospitalizations hit 367 Monday (10 below record)

• Admissions fell a lot Weds/Thurs

• Under 7,000 tests on Thanksgiving

Interactive charts updated here » https://t.co/uK1NnLusZw pic.twitter.com/XFRQZvMqLb
— Ted Nesi (@TedNesi) November 27, 2020

The 65 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in Rhode Island on Monday was a single-day record. Total admissions then fell to 38 on Tuesday and 33 on Wednesday.

Of the 319 patients hospitalized on Wednesday, 37 were in intensive care and 23 were on ventilators. The number of patients in the ICU was the highest since June 2.

State officials reported six more Rhode Islanders have died after contracting COVID-19, bringing the state’s total number of virus-related fatalities to 1,346 since the start of the pandemic.