Massachusetts reports 2,721 new coronavirus cases

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State House News Service

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker.

By Charlie McKenna

Massachusetts reported 2,721 new coronavirus cases and 24 deaths Sunday, as new infections in the state continue to increase dramatically.

Sunday’s case total is a slight drop from 2,991 reported Saturday. Single-day cases topped 2,000 every day this week but Monday. At the virus’ peak in late April, daily cases in Massachusetts averaged just over 2,000.

The state recently changed the way it reports COVID-19 positivity rates, separating higher education testing into its own category. The state’s overall seven-day test positivity rate sits at 3.02 percent, while the positivity rate that excludes higher education testing sits at 4.84 percent. 

Hospitalizations from COVID-19 are currently surging. On Sunday, the state reported 893 total hospitalizations, compared to 521 this time last month. 

Emerson does not update its COVID-19 dashboard on the weekends as no new tests are administered at Tufts Medical Center. Delays at the Broad Institute, the facility responsible for supplying and processing tests for Emerson and other area schools, resulted in the dashboard being updated Saturday. The update revealed four new positives on 1,355 new tests administered on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19.