Massachusetts has had another 132 people with the coronavirus die, public health officials said Thursday, while 1,696 more tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said the death toll stands at 4,552 people, while a total of 73,721 have now tested positive for the virus.
Thursday's report was being watched closely after the previous day's saw a spike in deaths -- 208, much higher than was being reported on previous days -- and the number of tests that came back positive.
"Yesterday's numbers are evidence that despite some signs of trending in a positive direction, we still have a lot of work to do," Gov. Charlie Baker said at his Thursday news briefing, while urging people not to make broad generalizations from single-day figures.
Baker is tracking key statistics as a gauge of whether he can begin reopening Massachusetts by May 18.
Massachusetts is one of the epicenters of COVID-19 in the U.S., with the third-most cases and fourth-most fatalities among all states. Baker and other health officials have said that may be due in part to a strong commitment to testing -- more than 350,000 tests had been conducted as of Thursday, according to the Department of Health.
More on Coronavirus in Massachusetts
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
