17 new confirmed deaths, 290 cases due to COVID-19 in Massachusetts, state reports Saturday – The Boston Globe

The death toll due to the coronavirus grew by 17 Saturday, the state reported, bringing the total confirmed dead in Massachusetts to 8,406. Confirmed cases of the disease also grew by 290, and reached a total of 110,077.

A total of 1,193,200 people have been given molecular tests for the virus, including 12,595 new people tested as of Saturday, the state reported.

The seven-day weighted average positive rate for the molecular tests was 2.1 percent Friday. After remaining below percent for much of July, the positive rate returned to that level on July 26, and grew to 2.1 percent on Thursday.

The three-day average of confirmed COVID-19 deaths increased from 13 on Tuesday to 14 as of Wednesday.

Probable deaths from the coronavirus were 220 as of Saturday, and the state reported no new probable deaths because of COVID-19.

Probable cases of the disease total 7,963 as of Saturday, up 138 from a day earlier, according to the state.

The state also reported that 784 new people have been given antibody tests, for a total of 96,964 people tested as of Saturday.

Four hospitals were using surge capacity to treat COVID-19 patients as of Friday, according to the state. That’s up from Thursday, when it was three hospitals.

And the three-day average number of hospitalized coronavirus patients was 361 as of Friday, down from 368 on Thursday.

Due to ongoing delays in the reporting of test results to the Department of Public Health, the case count Saturday “appears higher than usual,” the state said in Saturday’s dashboard report.


John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com.

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