THE NUMBER OF COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes topped 3,000 on Sunday, even as other indicators suggested the spread of the disease is slowing.
COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes increased by 79 to 3,001, while deaths at hospitals and other facilities increased by 60 to 1,978. Nursing home deaths due to COVID-19 account for 60 percent of all 4,979 COVID-19 deaths in the state. The total death toll should surpass 5,000 tomorrow.
The grim news on the death front came as most other COVID-19 indicators were promising. The number of new COVID-19 cases fell to 1,050, or just under 9 percent of those tested. Both the number and the percentage have been falling in fits and starts since April 23.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients fell by just one to 3,128 while the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units fell by four to 810. Both have showed a steady decline in recent weeks.
Gov. Charlie Baker is preparing to begin reopening the state’s economy on or before May 18 as long as the trend lines continue in the right direction. His administration is also preparing to release data on how nursing homes are complying with a checklist of infection control efforts this week.