Massachusetts Expected To Hit 1 Million COVID-19 Cases This Week

MASSACHUSETTS — After the Department of Public Health reported more than 980,000 cases across the state as of Friday, Massachusetts is expected to surpass its 1 millionth confirmed coronavirus case before the end of the year.

Massachusetts is also about to reach 20,000 deaths caused by the pandemic. As of Friday, the DPH reported a total of 19,604.

The DPH is expected to publish its next report of confirmed COVID-19 cases Monday afternoon, after the holiday weekend.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday last week continuously broke single-day records, with numbers soaring higher than they had been all year.

On Wednesday alone, 7,817 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported, the largest one-day total of confirmed cases in Massachusetts since the start of the pandemic, with Thursday and Friday following suit.

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The pace of new cases has been surging since the start of December, as the highly contagious omicron variant first started to appear in Massachusetts, as shown on the department's coronavirus dashboard.

By the time the current COVID wave peaks in Massachusetts in a month, a University of Washington model suggests the state could be seeing 87,000 cases per day, The Boston Globe reported last week.

No matter when Massachusetts hits 1 million confirmed infections, information suggests the numbers will continue to rise for a while.

The omicron variant was first detected in wastewater at Deer Island in Boston Harbor earlier this month, and data from the Wastewater COVID-19 Tracking project showed that viral RNA levels in samples from the island were the highest since reporting first started in March 2o2o.

Meanwhile, hospitals are hitting their limits with a dramatic increase of patients over the last few weeks. Nationally, about 77 percent of inpatient beds were occupied as of Dec. 22, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. About one out of every 10 beds are occupied by a COVID-19 patient.

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State health officials in Massachusetts reported to the federal government on Dec. 22 that approximately 85 percent of inpatient beds and 86 percent of intensive care unit beds in hospitals across the state were occupied.

There may be a light at the end of the tunnel, as the first antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 was authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday.

Pfizer's pill, Paxlovid is approved for ill patients in Massachusetts and the rest of the country to take at home before they become sick enough to be hospitalized. Individuals who are high-risk, aged 12 and older, and have a positive SARS-CoV-2 test are eligible for this treatment and will need to have it prescribed by a doctor.

Vaccination rates also continue to rise, as the number of fully vaccinated people sits above 5 million. The state reported nearly 40,000 new booster doses on Wednesday, which Gov. Charlie Baker said lessens the risk of serious infection amid the spread of the omicron variant.

More on Patch

• MA Sets One-Day Record For Coronavirus Cases
• COVID Tests In MA Are In Short Supply: Here's How To Get One
• When Will COVID-19 Pills Be Available In Massachusetts?
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Massachusetts
• Critical ICU Bed Shortage At UMass Memorial: Report
• FDA Authorizes First Take-Home Pill To Treat COVID-19 In MA