Massachusetts
Massachusetts reports 22% jump in COVID cases over the long weekend
COVID-19 instances proceed to climb throughout the Bay State, whereas virus hospitalizations decreased over the lengthy weekend.
The state Division of Public Well being reported a day by day common of 1,629 COVID-19 instances over the vacation weekend, which was up 22% from the day by day fee of 1,333 infections throughout the earlier weekend. For comparability, the omicron variant peak weekend was 20,329 day by day instances in early January.
The omicron BA.2 variant has contributed to the rise in instances, together with masks mandates being lifted and extra individuals gathering in particular person. The Boston-area COVID-19 wastewater knowledge is now climbing once more.
The state’s optimistic check common had been plummeting, however is now rising. The common is now 4.2% — up from 1.6% a couple of weeks in the past. The optimistic check fee for Tuesday’s report was 4.4%.
The state reported two new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the entire recorded dying toll to twenty,181. The seven-day common of deaths is now 4, which had been a lot increased following the omicron hospitalization surge.
There at the moment are 328 COVID-19 sufferers hospitalized within the state, down 15 sufferers from the entire rely of 343 sufferers on Friday. Hospitalizations had been spiking for a number of weeks amid the omicron surge, however then plunged. Affected person counts final week did begin rising once more.
The state reported that 35 sufferers are in intensive care items, and 14 sufferers are presently intubated.
Of the hospitalized COVID-19 sufferers statewide, 33% of the sufferers have been reported as being hospitalized resulting from COVID-19 and 67% of the sufferers have been reported as testing optimistic whereas hospitalized for different causes.
The state’s weekly breakthrough report was once more delayed on Tuesday. In the course of the earlier week, the Division of Public Well being reported 4,154 totally vaccinated instances, a weekly enhance of 92 totally vaccinated sufferers, and eight breakthrough deaths.