Massachusetts Public Health Department reports two more COVID-19 deaths, bringing total number in the state to 11

BOSTON (March 24, 2020) – Two females, one in her 80s from Middlesex County and one in her 60s from Berkshire County – have died from COVID-19-related illness, bringing the total number of deaths from the novel coronavirus in Massachusetts to 11. Both were hospitalized and had underlying health conditions.

As of 4 p.m. today, 13,749 Massachusetts residents have been tested for COVID-19 by the State Public Health Laboratory and commercial and clinical labs, up from 6,004 residents on Sunday. Of those 13,749 people, 1,159 have tested positive. 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 11 people who died ranged in age from 50s to 90s. Three of the six men were from Suffolk County, the other three from Norfolk, Hampden, and Berkshire counties. The five women were from Worcester, Essex, Middlesex, and Berkshire 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 44,183 cases of COVID-19 and more than 544 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.

Today the Administration introduced another way to keep updated during the COVID-19 outbreak. Residents can text “COVIDMA” to 888-777 to receive COVID-19 text message alerts straight to their phone. More information about COVID-19 can be found at www.mass.gov/covid19. For general questions, a 24/7 hotline is available by calling 2-1-1.