COVID-19 by the numbers in Massachusetts
On Wednesday, Massachusetts reported 4,613 new confirmed Coronavirus cases – the highest one day total since the pandemic began in February. State public health officials announced the new number of cases in Massachusetts is 225,787. The Department of Health also reported that the number of deaths rose by 46 bringing the total to 10,588, according to The Boston Globe.
The Department of Health also reported that there are 45,390 active cases of COVID-19 in the state with 1,259 people reportedly hospitalized.
BSU’s on-campus cases also increased ahead of the holiday, though not by much. From November 18th to the 23rd, BSU conducted 1,843 tests with only 6 positive cases. This brought the university’s total to 14,791 tests performed and 73 cases, with a positive test rate of .49%, according to BSU’s COVID-19 Dashboard.
As Massachusetts is getting hit with a second surge, the Center for Disease Control director, Robert Redfield, recently warned that this winter may be “the most difficult time in public health history.” Redfield believes that 450,000 Americans could die from the virus by February if more people don’t start following precautions, like mask-wearing.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker urged the public to keep following precautions such as wearing a mask and social distancing, especially while the holidays approach.