Massachusetts Coronavirus Deaths Eclipse Flu, Diabetes Deaths

BOSTON — The number of confirmed new coronavirus cases jumped 1,566 to 39,643 Monday, according to the daily update from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The department also reported 103 new deaths, bringing the total of Massachusetts residents who have died from the virus to 1,809.

In the month since the state recorded its first coronavirus-related death on March 20, more people have died from the virus than the number of Massachusetts residents who die from the flu or diabetes in a typical year. Even with strict social distancing measures in place, coronavirus will likely trail only cancer, heart disease and unintentional injury as the leading killer of residents in 2020.

And officials have warned the actual death toll is likely higher than the daily tally released by the state.

The total number of Massachusetts coronavirus deaths is already higher than the number of people who died of influenza (1,434) and diabetes (1,343) in all of 2017. In the next few days, Massachusetts coronavirus deaths are expected to surpass the 1,844 people who died of Alzheimer's disease and the 2,370 people who died from strokes in 2017, the most recent year for which data is available from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

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In Massachusetts, the leading causes of death are cancer, with 12,937 deaths in 2017, and heart disease, with 12,165 deaths in 2017.

On Monday, the closely-watched IHME coronavirus model was projecting 3,236 Massachusetts deaths by Aug. 4. That was significantly down from 8,219 projected Massachusetts coronavirus deaths a week ago, but would still make the coronavirus the fourth leading killer of Massachusetts residents behind cancer, heart disease and unintentional injury (3,913 deaths in 2017).

More Coronavirus Coverage On Massachusetts Patch:

• MA Health Care System Will Not Be Overwhelmed: Baker
• How Many Coronavirus Cases Are There In Your Town?
• MA Is Now A Coronavirus 'Hot Spot': Here's What That Means
• MA Self-Employed, Gig Economy Workers Can Now File For Unemployment Benefits

Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).