Massachusetts reports 8,542 new coronavirus cases, tests surpass 11 million

Jan. 3—Public health officials reported another 79 deaths from the novel coronavirus and 8,542 new cases in a two-day data dump on Saturday that showed the number of tests administered in Massachusetts has now surpassed 11 million.

The 8,542 new confirmed cases in Saturday's report, which spans both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, comes after the state on Thursday reported a record single-day high of 6,887 new cases.

Massachusetts has an estimated 79,092 active COVID-19 cases, according to the Department of Public Health, down from 80,359 on Thursday.

In total, there have been 367,987 confirmed cases in Massachusetts.

Another 101,394 tests were reported, for a total of 11,046,093.

The seven-day weighted average positivity rate was 8.67%. With testing from higher-education institutions removed, it was roughly 9.4%.

There are 2,280 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, including 412 in intensive care units and 246 who are intubated. The seven-day average number of hospitalizations ticked up to 2,254, continuing an upward trend.

The 79 new fatalities bring the state's death toll from confirmed COVID-19 cases to 12,236. With probable cases included, that total is 12,502.

Long-term care facilities reported another 30 deaths for a total of 7,401. There are 416 facilities that have reported at least one COVID-19 case and 30,933 workers and residents who have fallen ill.

The United States has now crossed 20 million coronavirus cases, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, and more than 84 million people have been infected worldwide. There have been 1.8 million deaths globally, including 349,000 in the U.S.

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