Health officials on Sunday announced more than 3,100 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 100 additional deaths as the number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus across Massachusetts continues to increase.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 3,110 new cases of the virus and an additional 105 deaths Sunday, bringing the state's case total to 371,097 and the death toll to 12,341.Three more probable deaths were also reported, meaning 269 deaths are now considered probably linked to COVID-19.
Sunday's report comes a day after the state reported 8,542 new cases, representing two days worth of data, as no report was released Friday -- New Year's Day.
The percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive, on average, has decreased slightly to 8.42%, according to the report. But the number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 has increased again, to 2,291.
Of those hospitalized, 416 were listed as being in intensive care units and 258 are intubated, according to the DPH.
More on the Coronavirus in Mass.
With hospitalizations surging, the state's second field hospital inside the recreation center on the campus of UMass Lowell is ready to go. The first patients are set to arrive Monday morning to help deal with the coronavirus surge and lessen the burden inside Lowell General Hospital and other nearby medical facilities treating COVID patients.
The field hospital will open up a 14-bed pod at first but will likely have up to 28 patients inside by the end of the week. It has capacity for up to 77 patients, if there’s enough staffing. Nurses from around the country have been recruited.
The patients at the site must be sick enough to be hospitalized, but stable and finishing their treatment for COVID-19 before discharge.
