Massachusetts reported 3,987 new confirmed coronavirus cases Wednesday and an additional 78 deaths.
There have now been 13,547 confirmed deaths and 458,089 cases, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Another 282 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19.
The percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive, on average, has slightly decreased to 5.86%, the department said.
The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 has decreased to 2,209. Of that number, 444 were listed as being in intensive care units and 299 are intubated, according to DPH.
State health officials on Wednesday said a second case of the more infectious coronavirus variant was confirmed Tuesday by a state laboratory.
The case is a man in his 20s from Worcester County, health officials said. No other information on the person was provided.
The first case confirmed last weekend was in a Boston woman in her 20s who had traveled to the United Kingdom and felt sick the day after she returned.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the variant is about 50% more contagious than the common strain.
