Massachusetts health officials on Monday reported 104 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the state's death toll from the outbreak to 3,003.
According to the Department of Public Health, the number of coronavirus cases rose by 1,524, bringing the total number of people infected with COVID-19 to 56,462.
Despite the increases, for the second straight day, just 17% of the test results released Monday were positive, the lowest percentage of positive tests since the coronavirus surge began. In contrast, last Wednesday, 34% of tests came back positive.
It also marked the fourth consecutive day the state has reported a decline in new cases compared to the previous day, though officials have warned against reading too much into the daily numbers.
The number of daily cases and fatalities is seen as a way to gauge when and how to safely reopen the economy.
Coronavirus Infection Rates in Mass. Cities and Towns
Middlesex County continues to have the most coronavirus cases, with 12,953, followed by Suffolk County with 11,883. Those are followed by Essex (7,708), Norfolk (5,398), Worcester (4,744) and Plymouth (4,607) counties. Suffolk County has the highest prevalence of cases, with 1,463 cases per 100,000.
Middlesex County also has the most deaths from coronavirus at 700, but Hampden County has the highest death rate, recording 71 deaths per 100,000.
Of the state's deaths, 1,698, or around 57%, have been associated with long-term care facilities.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has yet to announce a decision about whether Massachusetts can begin to reopen starting May 4, when the current stay-at-home order is currently set to expire.
He said Monday that an announcement will be made this week on whether he will extend the current stay-at-home advisory and non-essential business closure now scheduled to expire on May 4.
Mayor Marty Walsh said Monday that Boston definitely won't be reopening on May 4.
He said the city is building a "recovery framework," but Boston is still in the surge and he has major concerns about attempts to reopen the economy this soon.
"We can't afford to make any mistakes," Walsh said. "We are going to approach it very thoughtfully. We never want to put ourselves in a position where we move too quickly and undo the progress we have made."
