Massachusetts reported 288 new confirmed coronavirus cases Wednesday and an additional 22 deaths.
There have now been 8,853 confirmed deaths and 119,426 cases, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive, on average, remains at 1%, according to the report.
The total number of coronavirus deaths in the daily COVID-19 report, however, is listed as 9,060, which would indicate there are 207 more deaths that are considered probable at this time.
The probable fatality numbers were lower on Wednesday due to a change in the national definition of probable cases by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists on Aug. 6 and recently endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the DPH said.
"Today’s dashboard includes updated data utilizing the new clinical criteria associated with COVID-19 and defining probable cases as individuals: with a positive antigen test, with COVID-19 listed as an underlying or contributing cause of death on a death certificate, or with appropriate symptoms and likely exposure," read a statement from DPH.
Wednesday's reports are being issued after 6 p.m. to also accommodate the town-by-town COVID data.
