1 Million COVID-19 Cases Later, Massachusetts Hits Grim Milestone

MASSACHUSETTS — Massachusetts reported its 1 millionth COVID-19 case Tuesday, 696 days after the state's first case was reported on Feb. 1, 2020.

The state Department of Public Health's daily tally of coronavirus data released Tuesday showed 9,228 new confirmed cases, up from 993,038 in Monday's report and bringing the state's total to 1,022,266. The milestone comes during a surge where Massachusetts is ranked fifth among states where the coronavirus is spreading the fastest.

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Massachusetts' first confirmed coronavirus case was reported on Feb. 1, 2020, after a UMass-Boston student returned home from Wuhan, China. By the time the current COVID wave peaks in Massachusetts in a month, the state could be seeing 87,000 cases per day, according to a closely-watched University of Washington model.

Tuesday's report contained more data showing the toll of the current, omicron-fueled surge that was worsened by holiday gatherings this month:

• There were 63 reported coronavirus deaths, bringing the state's total to 19,692 confirmed coronavirus deaths since the first was recorded in Massachusetts on March 20, 2020.
• There were 20,247 new breakthrough cases in people who were already vaccinated against the coronavirus, bringing the state's total to 134,565. Of those, 854 patients have died, including 70 new confirmed deaths in Tuesday's report.
• The seven-day positive test rate was 11.08% Tuesday, up from 9.49% on Monday and 8.32% on Friday. It's the highest positive test rate since May 2020.

The latest data continued to show Massachusetts hospitals operating at or near capacity, with 7,679 of 8,728 medical/surgical beds occupied and 1,040 of 1,247 intensive care beds being used to treat patients.

Of those currently hospitalized, 528 are fully vaccinated. Of those in intensive care, 250 are intubated.