Mass. sees 550 new cases, 21 more deaths
Massachusetts public health officials reported 21 more deaths from COVID-19 and 550 new cases on Saturday as the United States logged 69,000 new infections, the country’s highest daily number since July.
The 21 new deaths bring the confirmed COVID-19 toll in Massachusetts to 9,503, while the total number of fatalities from both confirmed and probable cases now stands at 9,723.
The three-day average number of deaths was 21 as of Wednesday, the last day for which data was available from the Department of Public Health, up from a low of nine in September.
The 550 new cases reported on Saturday — a drop from more than 700 the day prior — bring the total number of confirmed infections to 139,903. Another 34 probable infections were reported, for a combined confirmed and probable cumulative caseload of 142,930.
Another 12,395 individuals were tested, for a total of just under 2.5 million. More than 5 million tests have now been administered statewide overall.
The seven-day average positive test rate hovered at 1.3%, up from a low of 0.8%. The daily percentage of tested individuals who are positive for the novel virus jumped to 7.3% on Friday from 5.5% on Thursday, according to the latest data available.
The three-day average number of hospitalizations held steady at 505, while the number of hospitals using surge capacity ticked down from two to one. There are 500 patients currently hospitalized with the virus, including 88 in intensive care units and 36 who are intubated.
Long-term care facilities reported another 14 deaths Saturday, for a total of 6,268. There are 390 facilities that have reported at least one COVID-19 case, and 25,284 workers and residents have been sickened.
There are now more than 39.5 million coronavirus cases worldwide and infections in the United States have topped 8 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
More than 1.1 million people have died globally, including 218,000 in the U.S. Some 27 million people have recovered worldwide, including nearly 3.2 million Americans.