The state reported 12 new deaths due to COVID-19, with Massachusetts confirming 8,803 deaths. The number of confirmed cases of the disease has reached 118,309, including 421 newly registered cases.
One of the three-day averages of confirmed COVID-19 has dropped, from Wednesday’s average of 15 to 14 by Wednesday.
The new data comes as Massachusetts prepares to return to school: for K-12 districts across the state, about 70 percent of local school districts will teach individually, Governor Charlie Baker said.
This fall – about a third of school systems, including Boston public schools – have chosen to reopen with distance learning programs, whether or not it divides some officials, teachers and parents.
State colleges and universities are also preparing to resume classes as students return to the field. Boston Mayor Martin J. Many officials, including Walsh, have also advised students to avoid anxious parties and other large gatherings to spread the disease.
The state has also changed travel bans from other states, adding Colorado, Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to its list of “low-risk” states, along with New York, New Jersey and most of New England.
Travelers from those states do not need to be separated for two weeks, or they do not need to fill out a Massachusetts travel form, the state said.
Hawaii and Rhode Island were initially considered low-risk states, but each has been removed from the list of Massachusetts.
On Saturday, the state also reported that about 1.7 million people have been given molecular tests for the virus, with 23,882 new ones being tested.
The seven-day average positive rate for nuclear tests remained stable at 1 percent on Friday, where it has been since Tuesday.
The state also reported that 886 new people have been given antibody tests for a total of 112,464 people as of Saturday.
As of Friday, three hospitals are using the extra capacity to treat COVID-19 patients, according to the state. As of Monday, that figure has returned to between two and three hospitals.
And the three-day average number of coronavirus patients admitted to the hospital was 317 as of Friday, up from 334 a day earlier.
John Hilliard can be reached at [email protected].
