Massachusetts Changing The Way COVID-19 Cases Are Counted

BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The number of coronavirus cases is expected grow in Massachusetts as the state changes the way it classifies cases.

Health officials believe there are more cases that what has been confirmed because many mild cases go unnoticed or unaccounted for.

The Boston Globe reports the Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued new directives on what counts as COVID-19. This includes those who were likely infected, but their diagnosis was not confirmed through a lab.

“Infectious disease specialists now believe this virus can go undetected for days. And some people who test positive actually never show any symptoms at all,” Gov. Charlie Baker said.

Gov. Baker also said that the “real challenge is not just how much you test, it’s where you test and what your strategy is in respect to certain populations.”

Death certificates going back to March 1 are also being looked at to see if any deaths are related to COVID-19.

Data released by the Centers of Disease Control earlier this week suggests that the death toll is much higher than initially thought in Massachusetts.

In analysis from the New York Times, Massachusetts had 1,200 more deaths between March 8 and April 11 this year than that same period last year. However, only 686 of those deaths were attributed to COVID-19. This leaves a gap of about 500 deaths that could be attributed to COVID-19.

As of Friday morning, Massachusetts has 62,205 cases of COVID-19 and 3,562 deaths.

WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) reports

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(Photo: Getty Images)


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