Massachusetts reported nearly 3,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday, one day after it reported a staggering 4,464 cases in a report that included two days worth of data due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
The 2,914 additional confirmed cases and 40 new deaths reported Saturday mean there have now been 10,441 confirmed deaths and 214,662 cases in the state since the pandemic began, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Another 235 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19 at this time.
The percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive, on average, has ticked up to 3.57%, according to the latest daily report.
Notably, from Nov. 8 through Nov. 21, the highest total number of cases has been among people ages 20-29 years old, followed by people ages 0-19 years old. The lowest total number of cases has been among people 80 years or older.
DPH data shows more than 7,000 people between the ages of 20-29 tested positive for the virus between Nov. 8 and Nov. 21. During that same time period, nearly 6,000 people between the ages of 0 and 19 contracted the virus. In comparison, only 1,113 people over the age of 80 tested positive for COVID during that timeframe.
Saturday's report also shows that more than 1,000 Massachusetts residents are currently hospitalized with COVID. Of the 1,045 patients in hospitals across the state, 225 were listed as being in intensive care units and 111 are intubated, according to the DPH.
More on the Coronavirus in Massachusetts
There are now 81 communities considered at the highest risk for transmitting the new coronavirus in Massachusetts, according to latest weekly community-level data on the pandemic that health officials released Friday.
The total is almost 20 more than the 62 towns and cities in the report last week, which was itself nearly twice the number of communities in the red the week before.
Saturday's latest report from the DPH comes the same day that Massachusetts began requiring people arriving in the state from Vermont to quarantine for two weeks. The change went into effect at 12:01 a.m.
The Department of Public Health made the announcement Friday, which leaves Hawaii as the only state that Massachusetts considers low-enough risk for quarantine-free travel.
