Massachusetts public health officials reported 1,508 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 30 more deaths on Sunday.
The update brings the totals to 568,616 confirmed cases and 16,311 deaths, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Another 334 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19.
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Generally, Massachusetts' coronavirus metrics have been trending downward in the past several weeks, 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.
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The percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive, on average, ticked down to 1.67% from 1.73%.
The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 decreased to 636. Of that number, 169 were listed as being in intensive care units and 95 were intubated, according to health officials.
The number of estimated active cases climbed again, up to 26,459 from 26,001 on Saturday.
As of Sunday, 2,522,847 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Massachusetts, including 1,614,294 first doses and 848,237 second doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Additionally, 60,316 doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered.
Overall, 908,553 Bay State residents have been fully immunized.
The latest report comes the same day that the first of two planned vaccine clinic sites exclusively for Boston Public Schools employees opened at the Boston Centers for Youth and Family Gallivan Community Center in Mattapan.
The clinic is open to teachers, bus drivers, monitors, administrators and other contractors who work for Boston Public Schools. Administrators at first plan to offer roughly 200 appointments per day, Sunday through Thursday, and will reopen to provide second shots after 21 days.
Boston Public Schools is partnering with the Boston Teachers Union to open a second BPS-only vaccination site located at the BTU Hall in Dorchester when more vaccine doses become available.
More on the Coronavirus Pandemic
Also on Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned state leaders against the “risky business” of eliminating public health measures, raising concerns that the nation could see a new surge in cases if it lets its guard down.
About a dozen states have recently rolled back coronavirus-related restrictions including mask mandates or limits on indoor gatherings. But Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that even as things are headed “in the right direction,” caseloads were still too high to declare “victory” by slashing restrictions.
