BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Gov. Charlie Baker said despite signs that social distancing is having an impact on the spread of COVID-19, Massachusetts is still on an "upward slope" in the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Baker said the state is making "good progress" in coronavirus testing, which means there is also an uptick in the number of confirmed cases.
"Through extensive modeling... we expect to see a surge in cases that could potentially peak sometime between April 10 and April 20," said Baker. "We're continually reviewing the modeling, but right now we see evidence that we're still on the upward slope of this pandemic."
As an example, Baker said the rate of average new positive COVID-19 tests in Massachusetts has been "rising steadily for three weeks." On Monday, that reached a new high when 30 percent of all tests conducted in the state came back positive.
On Tuesday, Baker said diagnosis rates remained high with around 28 percent of all tests coming back positive. "Obviously we have unfortunately been seeing continued fatalities associated with this virus," said Baker.
However, the Governor noted that Massachusetts has not seen the same "steep acceleration" that was evident in Wuhan, China, or New York City.
Baker said that has led his administration to be "cautiously optimistic" that the social distancing measures put in places across the state are helping to flatten the curve in Massachusetts.
"These remain, and I'll say it again, our most effective weapons to contain the disease," said Baker, "and we're grateful to all the Commonwealth's residents by doing their part and following them."
(Photo: Getty Images)
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