Another 50 people with the new coronavirus in Massachusetts have died and 471 confirmed and probable cases are being reported.
A total of 102,063 people have now contracted the virus in the state and 7,201 have died, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's daily report.
This week, the coronavirus case total jumped past 100,000 and the death toll past 7,000, due in large part to the department adding probable cases and probable deaths to the tallies.
See the state's list of COVID-19 hot spots.
The data in the Department of Public Health's daily report has been driving Gov. Charlie Baker's decisions on reopening the state economy. It's currently in Phase 1, with preparations being made for when Phase 2 is possible.
On Wednesday, Baker revealed guidance for retail stores and youth sports.
The daily report contains six indicators that are informing how fast Massachusetts can move through the four phases of its reopening plan. They are: the COVID-19 positive test rate, the number of individuals who died from COVID-19, the number of patients with COVID-19 in hospitals, the health care system's readiness, testing capacity, contact tracing capabilities.
Testing has been a cornerstone of the state's coronavirus response plan. Baker instituted an innovative contact-tracing scheme that aims to alert anyone recently exposed to someone who tests positive for the virus that they should quarantine.
For months, Massachusetts been one of the epicenters of COVID-19 in the U.S. It has the fifth-most cases among all states and, after probable cases were added Monday, the third-most deaths.
Baker and other health officials have said Massachusetts' high tallies may be due to the state testing among the most residents per capita in the country.
