The department issued a similar message after releasing the report Wednesday.
The numbers were reported hours after Governor Charlie Baker pleaded with Massachusetts residents not to become “careless or complacent,” noting that the state has recently seen a slight increase in positive COVID-19 cases.
“I know I sound like an old man talking to my kids when I say this, but a lot of it is about the decisions and behavior of all of us as individuals,” Baker said, citing some cases from party-related groups and people who they do not comply with the rules of mask and social distancing.
Baker also acknowledged that his administration has been considering lowering the limit on social gatherings in an effort to crack down on the cases. (Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo made a similar move Wednesday after an increase in cases in the state, declaring, “We’re partying too much.”)
“I think that is one of the things that we are talking about,” Baker said when asked about the matter, according to the State House News Service. “But the biggest issue is not so much the nature of the size of some of these gatherings, especially the private ones that take place in backyards and places like that. The biggest problem is honestly the overall behavior in those, who are not socially distant, unmasked, and in some respects a lack of respect for how this virus works and how it moves from person to person. “
The state Department of Public Health reported Thursday that there were no new deaths from probable cases, keeping that total at 220. There were 110 new probable cases, bringing the total to 7,698.
State authorities said 12,224 more people had undergone the coronavirus test as of Thursday, bringing the total number of individuals to 1,161,454. The total number of tests administered increased to 1,507,320.
The state reported that new antibody tests had been completed for 869 people, with a total of 95,217.
The key metrics the state is awaiting for its phased reopening plan still lagged far below the numbers reported during the spring surge.
The seven-day weighted average of the positive tests held at 2 percent for the second consecutive day on Wednesday. That metric has generally ranged from 1.7 percent to 2 percent since mid-June. The current number represents a 93 percent drop from the mid-April highs.
The three-day average of patients hospitalized for coronavirus increased slightly from 368 on Tuesday to 374 from Wednesday, representing a 90 percent drop from mid-April.
The number of hospitals using the surge capacity increased from two on Tuesday to four on Wednesday, but still represents an 81 percent drop from mid-April. And the three-day average of deaths from confirmed coronavirus cases fell slightly to 13 on Monday, from 16 on Sunday, a 91 percent decrease from mid-April.
Nationwide, there’s a glimmer of hope: The second wave of confirmed cases appears to be stabilizing, according to the Associated Press. However, the scientists do not celebrate in any way, warning that the trend is fueled by four large, affected states: Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, and that cases are increasing in nearly 30 states overall, with the outbreak. The center of gravity apparently shifts from the Sun Belt to the Midwest.
Some experts wonder if the apparent improvements in workload will last.
Deaths from the coronavirus continue to rise rapidly, according to the AP. And it’s unclear when the deaths will start to drop.
Senior health officials have said it can take weeks for deaths to catch up with positive case rates, as it may take time for people sick with the virus to eventually succumb to it.
The virus has killed more than 151,000 people in the U.S., by far the highest number of deaths in the world, and the number of confirmed infections across the country has exceeded 4.4 million.
Over the past week, the average number of deaths per day in the US has increased more than 25 percent, from 843 to 1,057, according to the AP.
Florida also reported 253 more deaths Thursday, setting its third consecutive single-day record.
Travis Andersen of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Material from the Associated Press and State House News Service was used in this story.
Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @JaclynReiss
