Advertisement

There Are 328 Known Coronavirus Cases In Mass.

05:20
Download Audio
Resume

Known coronavirus cases in Massachusetts jumped almost 30% to 328 on Thursday, according to new state figures.

The increase in positive cases came as testing also expanded. There have been more than 3,132 tests completed at state and commercial labs, according to the Department of Public Health. Only 2,271 tests had been completed as of the day before.

Gov. Baker Thursday toured Quest Diagnostic's Marlborough lab, where tests will now be run locally. Baker said by next week, all labs in Massachusetts will be doing 3,500 tests a day. Quest's location alone can run up to 3,000 tests daily, according to the company. Company CEO Steve Rusckowski says Quest has hundreds of thousands of kits and more on order.

Another lab soon to come online: the Broad Institute, which says it will run 1,000 tests a day.

Baker has acknowledged there have been problems with testing, which he's blamed on issues at the federal level.

Of the 328 people diagnosed with COVID-19, 43 have been hospitalized. Mass. General says they have five people in intensive care suffering from the disease, and more than 70 people elsewhere in the hospital with suspected COVID-19, though not all have been confirmed.

At Brigham & Women's Hospital, there are three patients receiving treatment for COVID-19, two of which are in intensive care. Four employees have also tested positive. Beth Israel Lahey said it has 13 confirmed cases across its network of hospitals. At Massachusetts General Hospital, there are eight confirmed cases. And at Boston Medical Center, they are treating one person with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

This segment aired on March 19, 2020.

Related:

Headshot of Ally Jarmanning

Ally Jarmanning Senior Reporter
Ally is a senior reporter focused on criminal justice and police accountability.

More…

Headshot of Martha Bebinger

Martha Bebinger Reporter
Martha Bebinger covers health care and other general assignments for WBUR.

More…

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close