COVID-19 weekly cases in Fall River nearly triple, deaths hit 345

Fall River saw more cases of COVID-19 announced on Thursday in the City of Fall River’s weekly report.

According to the Mayor’s Office, 12,853 total cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Fall River, a 279 case increase reported since last Thursday.

The 279 cases is an increase from the 102 cases reported the previous week.

The Fall River Health Department is in contact with the individuals who have tested positive as well as their contacts.

Deaths in Fall River contributed to COVID-19 increased to 345 as 7 new deaths have been reported since February 25th. 7 deaths were reported last week.

Last week, Mayor Paul Coogan and Health Director Tess Curran announced that Fall River has been approved for a Bristol County Regional Clinic. The proposal- submitted in partnership with Attleboro, Somerset, Swansea, and Taunton- was approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Tuesday. Regional clinics were approved based on population density as well as proximity to other vaccine clinics, such as mass vaccine sites.

Clinics will be held five days per week amongst the four locations in Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro and Somerset. Each clinic will be open to all eligible populations statewide and will vaccinate up to 750 individuals per day. The Fall River clinic will be held on Thursdays at Bristol Community College. Conversations are ongoing regarding the opening date for the regional vaccine clinic. Approval of this regional site will allow the City of Fall River to maintain the current clinic at Bristol Community College by providing first-dose appointments on a weekly basis. The Department of Health and Human Services and Fall River EMS Division and will continue to operate this clinic.

“This regional site is proof of an excellent partnership between five towns and cities, which will result in more vaccines for all of our residents,” said Mayor Paul Coogan. “I am thankful for Tess Curran’s hard work in orchestrating our clinic at Bristol Community College and ensuring that it is able to continue serving the Greater Fall River community. I look forward to working with the Massachusetts DPH and our neighboring communities to finalize the details
of the Bristol County Regional clinic.”