State’s positive rate drops a notch
The coronavirus test positive rate in Massachusetts dropped to a record low 1.4% on Friday as health officials reported 14 new coronavirus deaths and 212 new cases.
The seven-day weighted average of the state’s positive test rate ticked down to 1.4 % on Friday, the lowestever “observed value,” according to the Department of Public Health.
The rate rose from 1.7% in mid-July to 2.2% last week before declining over the past week.
Four key indicators are now trending in green, which had previously stuck at just three, and include positive trends in test positivity, hospitalizations, testing capacity and contact tracing.
The 14 new coronavirus deaths bring the state’s COVID-19 death toll to 8,582, the state Department of Public Health announced. The three-day average of coronavirus daily deaths has dropped from 161 at the start of May to 12 now.
The state has logged 113,729 cases of the highly contagious disease, an increase of 212 cases since Thursday. Of the 113,729 total cases, at least 100,486 people have recovered.
Coronavirus hospitalizations went down by 3 patients, bringing the state’s COVID-19 hospitalization total to 398.
There are 58 patients in the ICU, and 31 patients are currently intubated.
The highest peak of Massachusetts’ coronavirus hospitalizations was 3,965 on April 21. The three-day average of the number of coronavirus hospitalizations has gone from 3,707 on May 1 to 407 now.
The state reported 24,478 residents and health care workers at long-term care facilities have now contracted the virus, with 378 facilities reporting at least one case of COVID-19, an increase of one facility since Thursday.
Of the state’s 8,852 total coronavirus deaths, 5,634 are connected to long-term care facilities.
Data and about age and probable cases has been moved to the department’s weekly report, out every
Wednesday, and will no longer be updated daily.