Massachusetts health officials announced another 21 deaths from the coronavirus on Friday, raising the death count statewide to 8,184.
Authorities also confirmed another 216 cases of COVID-19, for a total of at least 106,487 confirmed cases. That is based on 12,821 new molecular tests reported Friday.
The number of patients hospitalized with the virus decreased by 42 from Thursday, and has now dropped to 515. Of those patients, 76 are currently in intensive care.
Gov. Charlie Baker said the statewide rate of positive tests has hovered around 2% in recent weeks, but noted that there have been “slightly higher averages across multiple communities,” where test rates have declined.
In Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh said Friday that the infection rate this week rose slightly to 2.4%, which is half a percent more than last week. Walsh told Jim Braude of WBGH that the city is closely monitoring that number, but noted that the city is still in good shape, even as cases in other parts of the US continue to rise to record levels.
Earlier this week, researchers from Cambridge-based Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health reported that an experimental vaccine that has been in development for months helped boost people’s immune systems in the way that scientists expected. In late July, the vaccine will be administered to 30,000 people as part of a final trial to see if it protects against the coronavirus.
The availability of a vaccine will be required before the state enters the final phase of reopening, Baker said.
The third phase of the state’s reopening plan, called the “surveillance phase,” began approximately two weeks ago and will last significantly longer than the other phases so that officials can monitor the impact that the third phase will have on public health data.
These are the cases listed by county:
Barnstable County: 1,603
Berkshire County: 618
Bristol County: 8,637
Dukes County: 57
Essex County: 16,632
Franklin County: 389
Hampden County: 7,100
Hampshire County: 1,026
Middlesex County: 24,738
Nantucket County: 25
Norfolk County: 9,612
Plymouth County: 8,865
Suffolk County: 20,499
Worcester County: 12,762
Unknown location: 316
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