14 new deaths, positive test rate is steady

Massachusetts public health officials reported another 286 coronavirus cases and 14 deaths on Sunday as the closely watched positive test rate held steady at 1.8% for the second day in a row.

The 14 new deaths bring the state’s COVID-19 toll to 8,514, according to the Department of Public Health.

The three-day average number of deaths was 13 as of Thursday, down 92% from the worst of the pandemic in mid-April.

There are now 112,459 confirmed coronavirus cases in Massachusetts. Another 43 probable cases were reported Sunday, for a total of 8,581 on the day.

The seven-day average positive test rate — a source of great concern among state officials after creeping up to 2.2% earlier this month from a low of 1.7% in mid-July — has now dipped down to 1.8% where it has remained for two days.

The downward tick comes days after Gov. Charlie Baker paused the state’s reopening process and ramped up enforcement of public health guidelines in an effort to crack down on large gatherings he’s blamed for contributing to coronavirus clusters across the commonwealth.

The three-day average number of hospitalizations was 384. Four hospitals were using surge capacity, up from three earlier in the week.

There were 375 people were hospitalized due to the virus as of Sunday, with 60 patients in intensive care units and 26 intubated.

Long-term care facilities ravaged by the virus reported another 14 deaths Saturday, for a total of 5,575. At least 376 centers have reported at least one COVID-19 case, and 24,510 workers and residents have fallen ill.

There are now more than 19 million coronavirus cases across the globe, with 5 million in the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. Global deaths have topped 728,000, including 162,000 in the U.S. Nearly 12 million people have recovered worldwide, including 1.6 million Americans.