Massachusetts health officials reported 1,734 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 46 more deaths on Friday.
There have now been totals of 547,358 confirmed cases and 15,703 deaths in the Bay State, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Another 321 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19.
Generally, Massachusetts' coronavirus metrics have been trending down in the past several weeks, according to the Department of Public Health's interactive coronavirus dashboard, with the average number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths peaking in the second week of January. The testing rate peaked Jan. 1. 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, rose slightly to 1.9% from 1.85%.
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 dipped to 807. Of that number, 211 were listed as being in intensive care units and 137 were intubated, according to health officials.
The number of estimated active cases declined to 30,983 from 33,332 on Thursday.
Also on Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker touted pooled COVID-19 testing as a way for schools to get back to a new normal as his administration pushes to get students back in classrooms across Massachusetts.
