Massachusetts reported 2,186 new confirmed coronavirus cases and an additional 53 deaths on Wednesday.
There have now been 504,564 confirmed cases and 14,415 deaths, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Another 293 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19.
Generally, Massachusetts' coronavirus metrics have been trending down, according to the Department of Public Health's interactive coronavirus dashboard, with the average number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths peaking in the second week of January. The testing rate peaked Jan. 1. 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, decreased to 3.3% from 3.44% the previous day, the department said Tuesday.
The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 has slightly increased to 1,635. Of that number, 335 were listed as being in intensive care units and 203 were intubated, according to health officials.
The number of estimated active cases dropped to 64,431 on Wednesday, from 67,650 on Tuesday.
Also Wednesday, Gov. Charlie Baker released new details on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in Massachusetts. He said over 654,000 residents have already been vaccinated, and about 120,000 new appointments are expected to be made available this week.
About 55,000 new appointments will go live on Thursday at the state's mass vaccination sites alone.
