The post-holiday surge in the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have slowed down in Gloucester, with fewer cases diagnosed during the past week than during any week since Christmas.

The county had 129 new cases of the virus during the week, for a total of 1,545 cases since the pandemic began, along with one new hospitalization, for a total of 41. There were three deaths during the week, bringing the total number of Gloucester residents who have died of the virus to 27 as of Wednesday morning.

Mathews, on the other hand, added 40 new cases during the week, more than either of the two preceding weeks, for a total of 455 cases. One additional person was hospitalized during the past week, for a total of 17 hospitalizations thus far, and the number of deaths remained at six Mathews residents.

In Middlesex, 23 people tested positive for COVID-19 during the past week, for a total of 420 since March, while there was one additional death, for a total of 16, and hospitalizations remained th...