BOSTON — State health officials continue to see a rapid rise in new COVID-19 cases, as virus hospitalizations surpassed 800 patients for the first time in three months this week.
The Bay State reported reported more than 3,400 new infections on Tuesday. The state Department of Public Health tallied 3,425 COVID-19 cases, an 18% increase from 2,909 infections recorded the previous Tuesday. Health officials have been warning that the omicron BA.2 variant and the BA.2.12.1 subvariant are spreading around the region.
The Boston-area COVID wastewater data had taken a dip, but the virus wastewater levels are now rising again. State health officials have been encouraging people to get a booster shot to get more protection from the variants.
The state’s average percent positivity is now 9.12%, significantly up from the rate of 1.6% two months ago. The positive test average for Tuesday’s count was much higher at 11.11%.
State health officials reported 30 COVID deaths, bringing the state’s total recorded death toll to 20,441. The 30 new deaths are from Saturday through Monday. The daily average of COVID deaths is now eight. The death rate had been much higher after omicron hospitalizations surged.
After COVID hospitalizations jumped by 64 patients, the state’s overall patient count is now 803 patients. Hospitalizations are rising after several weeks of elevated cases. The last time the state had more than 800 total hospitalizations was in mid-February.
There are now 78 coronavirus patients in intensive care units, and 24 patients are intubated across the state.
In the state’s weekly breakthrough report, the state reported 18,820 breakthrough infections last week — a 35% decrease from the 28,797 fully vaccinated cases in the prior report.
There was a one-week increase of 241 fully vaccinated patients, a bit up from the previous weekly increase of 225 fully vaxxed patients. The state also reported a one-week increase of 47 deaths, up from 23 deaths in the previous week.
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