67 virus deaths, but hospitalizations drop
Massachusetts health officials on Sunday reported 67 new coronavirus deaths and 4,283 new cases, another high count of cases as the number of COVID19 hospitalizations ticked down again.
Sunday’s tally of 4,283 cases follows Saturday’s 5,657 cases, Friday’s 5,074 cases, and Thursday’s 5,545 cases. There were three straight days of 7,000-plus cases in the previous week.
The 67 new virus deaths and two new probable virus deaths bring the state’s total COVID-19 death toll to 13,652. The seven-day average of daily deaths is now 65, down from 74 daily deaths last week. The death average peaked with 175 daily deaths in late April.
Of Massachusetts’ 470,140 total recorded cases, at least 324,203 people have recovered.
The count of estimated active cases in the Bay State was 16,561 in early November. Now in mid-January, the number of estimated active cases has hit 98,476.
The seven-day weighted average of the state’s positive test rate — removing higher education — has declined in the past week. The rate is now 7.2% after peaking at 9.4% at the start of the year. The rate was 1.7% at the start of September.
Statewide coronavirus hospitalizations dropped on Sunday, continuing the trend of the last week. Hospitalizations on Sunday went down by 32 patients, bringing the hospitalization total to 2,165 patients. The total was 2,428 patients last week.
The 2,165 current patients are still a significant increase from 436 patients at the start of November. The highest peak of Massachusetts’ coronavirus hospitalizations was 3,965 on April 21.
Of the 13,652 total deaths in Massachusetts, 7,762 deaths have been reported in long-term care facilities.
The U.S. has recorded more than 397,000 coronavirus deaths and 23.8 million cases. The country’s death toll and case count are the highest in the world.