Four more die in Massachusetts due to COVID-19, Fifteen total

BOSTON (March 25, 2020) – State health officials today announced four additional deaths from COVID-19. These include:

· A male, 80s, from Norfolk County with pre-existing conditions

· A male, 80s, from Barnstable County with pre-existing conditions

· A male, 70s, from Worcester County with unknown pre-existing conditions

· A woman, 70s, from Worcester County with pre-existing conditions

All four had been hospitalized. These deaths bring to 15 the total number of deaths from the novel coronavirus in Massachusetts.

As of 4 p.m. today, Massachusetts has 679 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 1,838 cases. A total of 19,794 Massachusetts residents have been tested for COVID-19 by the State Public Health Laboratory and commercial and clinical labs. The DPH daily online dashboard reflects testing results for all of the clinical and commercial labs performing testing in Massachusetts in addition to results from the State Public Health Laboratory.

In addition to the State Public Health Laboratory, Quest Diagnostics, and LabCorp, the online dashboard includes 10 more labs and their testing data. Expanded testing capacity in Massachusetts continues to be a focus of the work of the COVID-19 Response Command Center, and the effort to increase testing capacity across the state will continue.

The 15 people who died ranged in age from 50s to 90s. They include residents from Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Worcester, Hampden, Berkshire, Essex, and Barnstable counties.

COVID-19 activity is increasing in Massachusetts. At this time, if people are only mildly symptomatic, they should speak to their healthcare provider about whether they need to be assessed in person. If not, they should stay at home while they are sick. Asymptomatic family members should practice social distancing and immediately self-isolate if they develop symptoms.

In the United States, there have been more than 54,453 cases of COVID-19 and more than 737 deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Massachusetts and nationwide, the public is being asked to avoid crowds, stay 6 feet away from others, not shake hands or hug, and call/Facetime and online chat with friends and loved ones rather than meet face to face.