Thirty six new coronavirus deaths were reported in Massachusetts Thursday, along with 271 more cases.
The Department of Public Health's daily COVID-19 report showed that the death toll has risen to 7,770. A total of 106,422 people in Massachusetts have now tested positive for the virus.
This week saw the fewest deaths yet reported in one of the reports -- on Tuesday, the state determined that 18 more people had died, a record low since the pandemic surged in April.
On Wednesday, the population of coronavirus-positive patients in Massachusetts hospitals dropped below 1,000 people for the first time since the surge as well.
The six indicators informing how fast Massachusetts can move through the four phases of reopening the state are: the COVID-19 positive test rate, the number of individuals who died from COVID-19, the number of patients with COVID-19 in hospitals, the health care system's readiness, testing capacity, contact tracing capabilities. Their statuses have held steady, with half in a positive trend and half "in progress" since June 5.
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For months, Massachusetts has been one of the epicenters of COVID-19 in the U.S. It has the fifth-most cases among all states and the third-most deaths, but the state is now in Phase 2 of its reopening plan, which sees many businesses able to reopen their doors, though with restrictions.
Gov. Charlie Baker and other health officials have said Massachusetts' high tallies may be due to the state testing among the most residents per capita in the country.
