Massachusetts public health officials confirmed another 1,865 cases of the coronavirus and 54 new deaths on Wednesday.
The update puts the total of confirmed cases at 584,024 and the death toll at 16,632, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Another 338 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19.
Massachusetts' coronavirus metrics had been trending downward to start the year, though some, like the average number of new cases per day and average number of tests returning positive, have leveled off in recent weeks, according to the Department of Public Health's interactive coronavirus dashboard. The figures reported daily are important for tracking trends with the virus' spread, though a single-day change may not reflect a larger trend, and may reflect incomplete data.
The percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive, on average, effectively held steady at 2.23%, after being at 2.2%.
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The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 increased to 628. Of that number, 147 were listed as being in intensive care units and 86 were intubated, according to health officials.
The number of estimated active cases increased to 27,374 from 27,006 on Tuesday.
Also on Wednesday, Boston's new mayor, Kim Janey, was sworn in, and she vowed to increase COVID-19 testing and vaccinations and close racial equity gaps.
