About two and a half weeks after the state reached a record high level of new COVID-19 infections, Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday that the data indicates Massachusetts is now on "the back side of the omicron surge."
Baker said daily case counts and additional monitoring of COVID-19 prevalence in the Boston area's wastewater have both dropped from early January peaks. Average hospitalizations, which tend to lag changes in infections, have also started a downturn from their recent high point.
"We are definitely on what I'd call the back side of the omicron surge," Baker said in a live interview on GBH News's "Boston Public Radio."
About half of the 5.1 million fully vaccinated Bay Staters have received a booster shot adding to their protection against COVID-19, a rate that Baker said Thursday he believes is the "highest in the country."
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Two days after he delivered his final state of the commonwealth address, Baker fielded questions on topics ranging from his proposals for tax breaks to the utility of mask mandates during a radio interview set to last for one hour.
