Deaths linked to COVID-19 are still increasing in Massachusetts, but with more than 50% of hospital capacity open and available, Gov. Charlie Baker's administration and health care leaders on Thursday urged residents to seek help if they need it.
Health care facilities expected to see a drop in use because of canceled elective procedures, but some officials said Thursday they have also observed a significant decline in patients seeking care for stroke or heart attack symptoms.
Joining Baker at his daily press conference, hospital executives rolled out a new public service announcement campaign reminding the public that hospitals have the resources to meet non-COVID needs.
The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 declined slightly in the newest data published Thursday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, while confirmed new cases surpassed 3,000 in the largest one-day increase yet.
However, the 3,079-case increase came alongside 14,614 new tests reported in the past day, more than double the typical daily number, and the percentage of new tests that came back positive dropped to 21%.
Massachusetts has linked 2,360 deaths to the pandemic as of Thursday, an increase of 178 over Wednesday.
The state is still in the thick of the pandemic, but medical experts indicated Thursday that health care facilities likely will not need to resort to triage plans drafted in case the surge overwhelmed existing resources.
That plan had drawn criticism from observers who argued it would disproportionately disadvantage people of color who already are more likely to have underlying health conditions.
Understanding and addressing disparities is a key goal of legislation the House approved Thursday. The bill unveiled and then passed would forcefully require the Department of Public Health to publish more detailed demographic data about COVID-19's impact and would convene a task force to recommend strategies for eliminating barriers to care.
New unemployment data released Thursday indicate the pandemic and the widespread shutdowns it prompted continue to have a deep economic impact. About 653,000 Massachusetts residents have filed unemployment claims in the past five weeks, and more than 200,000 others applied for a new unemployment program open to self-employed and gig workers who did not previously qualify in the three days since it launched.
Baker is seeking $1.2 billion in federal loans to help the state continue paying out benefits to hundreds of thousands in need, hoping to replenish a trust fund that has already dropped by more than half.
