Massachusetts Surpasses 300,000 Coronavirus Cases

More than 300,000 Massachusetts residents have been diagnosed with the coronavirus this year. That's about 4.35% of the state's population, per the latest U.S. census.

The state's latest report on Friday night confirmed 5,632 new cases and 53 deaths, bringing total past the milestone.

Hospitals in the state are 83% full; intensive care units are at 71% capacity.

As the state continues to suffer through a "second surge," the seven-day average positivity rate in Massachusetts stands at 6.1%. Cases began climbing at the beginning of autumn, and have only escalated amid the holiday season and colder temperatures.

This grim milestone came in the same week that the first vaccines arrived in Massachusetts hospitals. The first front-line health care workers began to receive the Pfizer vaccinations, bringing some hope that an end to the pandemic could be in reach.