27 new Mass. deaths, 304 new cases
Massachusetts coronavirus deaths increased by 27 and cases rose by 304 Sunday as key indicators continued to trend down the day before the state enters the second phase of its reopening.
The new deaths bring the state’s COVID-19 toll to 7,316, according to the state Department of Public Health.
There are now 99,562 confirmed cases of the virus in Massachusetts. The state reported another 43 probable cases Sunday, for a total of 103,436.
Several key indicators continued their downward trends as the state prepares to forge ahead with reopening several sectors — including retail and restaurants, with restrictions — today.
The state’s positive test rate, testing capacity and the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals were all listed as “positive” trends on the state’s dashboard, while the number of deaths, contact tracing and health care system readiness remained “in progress.”
The seven-day weighted positive test rate was 5% as of Saturday, down 83% from April 15. The three-day average of hospitalizations, with 1,501 on Saturday was down 58%, and the number of hospitals using surge capacity was down 67%. The threeday death average was 41 as of June 4, down 73% from mid-April.
The current number of patients hospitalized as of Sunday was 1,442, with 335 in intensive care units and 221 patients intubated.
Middlesex County continued to have the highest total number of cases with 22,754, followed by Suffolk County with 19,001.
More than half the state’s deaths, 4,574 as of Sunday, continue to come from long-term care facilities, 351 of which have now reported at least one case of COVID19. Some 22,191 residents and health care workers have been sickened by the virus.
There were more than 6.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide as of Sunday afternoon, with more than 400,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. More than 1.9 million of those cases came from the United States, which had recorded more than 109,000 deaths.