The death toll from confirmed coronavirus cases in Massachusetts rose from 14 to 8,582, state officials reported Friday, and the number of confirmed cases rose by 212, bringing the total to 113,729.
The number of individuals tested for the coronavirus increased by 21,552, for a total of 1,402,730. An additional 618 individuals were given antibody tests, for a total of 104,191, reported the Department of Public Health.
Meanwhile, the four metric officials monitored for public health as Massachusetts’ economy remained low relative to the rise in April.
The seven-day weighted average of positive coronavirus test rates hit another new low, dropping to 1.4 percent from 1.5 percent.
The three-day average of hospital coronavirus patients rose to 407 on Friday, up from 403 the day before. Meanwhile, the number of hospitals using electricity capacity fell to 4 from Thursday, from 5 the day before.
The three-day average of deaths due to confirmed cases of coronavirus remained stable at 12 as of Tuesday.
Also Friday, the Department of Public Health reported that it changed the risk level of coronavirus in two Massachusetts communities after problems were found at a commercial lab that resulted in at least 130 false positive cases. The state did not identify the lab.
“The Department of Public Health has identified a reporting problem by one commercial lab over a three-day period, which has resulted in a disproportionate number of false positive results being reported from that lab during that time. The lab stopped testing when the problem was identified and is being investigated, “said a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Health.
The estimated 700 impact tests are in the process of being verified, the department said. Verification of about 400 of those tests has so far yielded 130 false positions.
Based on that information, DPH officials have revised their color-coded map indicating the risk level for coronavirus in each city or town. Fall River moved from red to yellow, while Taunton was moved from yellow to green. Green indicates less than four cases per 100,000 inhabitants, yellow indicates between 4 and 8 cases per 100,000, and red indicates at least eight cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
The department said that if verification of more tests is completed, the figures for other communities may change, but it did not expect any other risk levels to change as a result of the problem.
The Department of Public Health also made changes to the data it reports this week in an effort to “highlight the specific data points that are most useful for tracking the daily impact of the virus.”
The department no longer reports likely cases as dead every day, instead reporting those numbers in its weekly report on Wednesday.
The department no longer presents a measure of change since mid-April highs for key metrics closely monitored by government officials. Instead, it now presents the percentage that each figure has changed from the lowest perceived value.
The department also changed the method it uses to calculate the seven-day weighted average of positive test rates for coronavirus, causing the numbers to shift slightly downward.
Jaclyn Reiss of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Christina Prignano can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @cprignano.
