Massachusetts health officials have announced the state’s first case of the more infectious coronavirus variant first found in the United Kingdom. A Boston woman who traveled to the United Kingdom felt sick the day after she returned, the state Department of Public Health said Sunday.
More than 450,000 Massachusetts residents have now been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, the state Department of Public Health said Monday.
With 3,224 new confirmed cases of the virus announced Monday, there have now been 451,535 confirmed cases overall.
The department also reported 52 more deaths on Monday, bringing the confirmed death toll to 13,424. Another 281 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19.
The latest seven-day average positivity rate in Massachusetts is now 5.91%, down from almost 7% two weeks ago.
The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 increased to 2,206, while 427 of those patients are listed as being in intensive care units and 288 are intubated, according to the DPH.
The latest report comes a day after Massachusetts health officials announced the state's first case of the more infectious coronavirus variant first found in the United Kingdom.
A Boston woman who traveled to the United Kingdom felt sick the day after she returned, the state Department of Public Health said Sunday.
The health department said it was notified of her test results on Saturday evening.
The woman in her 20s had tested negative for COVID-19 before leaving the U.K., officials said.
Coronavirus in Massachusetts
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the variant is about 50% more contagious than the other strain that is currently causing the bulk of cases in this country.
Health officials said by March, the new strain will likely become the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the United States.
The CDC says there's no evidence that it causes more severe illness or is transmitted differently so mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing and other prevention strategies can still work.
