NORTHAMPTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 1,754 new cases of confirmed COVID-19 infections on Wednesday and 208 new deaths. There are now 72,025 confirmed cases statewide and 4,420 deaths.
Overall, 5% of current cases in Massachusetts require hospitalization, and 922 people with the virus are in intensive care units.
The state has reported 580 confirmed cases and 47 deaths in Hampshire County, 278 cases and 38 deaths in Franklin County and 4,321 cases and 425 deaths in Hampden County.
The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units now stands at 922, while the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is more than 3,500.
The state also reported a new death at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Eighty-five veteran residents have now died at the facility over the course of the pandemic, with 72 testing positive for COVID-19, 12 testing negative and one with results unknown.
As of Wednesday, 79 veteran residents have tested positive for COVID-19. , along with 83 emp
The state has carried out 339,639 tests, 6,290 of which were new on Wednesday.
Cooley Dickinson Hospital is treating 15 inpatients with confirmed COVID-19 infection as of Wednesday, three of whom are in the intensive care unit.
An additional 81 outpatients are under investigation for COVID-19 infection. The hospital has had 521 people test positive overall.
Baystate Health is treating 87 inpatients for confirmed COVID-19 infection across all of its hospitals, including 11 patients in critical care units. Eighty-three are hospitalized at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.
Twenty-three inpatients are under investigation for COVID-19 infection.
Baystate has tested 7,700 people to date, with 1,280 results coming back positive, 6,336 negative, and 84 pending results.
The percentage of positive tests has dropped from around 24% to 16.6% over the course of the pandemic, which the hospital attributes to expanded testing accessibility.
“In some countries in Asia and Europe, the rates are in the low single digits; we aspire to be in this range,”according to a statement from the hospital. The number of cases at Baystate is “gradually trending downwards for both hospitalizations and critical care.”
Hospitalized cases peaked in early April at 180.
Of those who tested positive, 81% either never required hospitalization or have been discharged.