Massachusetts public health officials confirmed another 1,476 cases of the coronavirus and 20 new deaths on Tuesday.
The update puts the total of confirmed cases at 582,159 and the death toll at 16,578, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Another 337 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19.
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Massachusetts' coronavirus metrics had been trending downward to start the year, though some, like the average number of new cases per day and average number of tests returning positive, have leveled off in recent weeks, according to the Department of Public Health's interactive coronavirus dashboard. 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, ticked up to 2.2% from 2%.
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The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 increased slightly to 608. Of that number, 148 were listed as being in intensive care units and 86 were intubated, according to health officials.
The number of estimated active cases decreased to 27,006 from 27,341 on Monday.
Also on Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker testified at the state's second vaccine rollout hearing.
