Massachusetts becomes fifth state with more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths
Massachusetts on Wednesday became the fifth U.S. state to report more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths — following New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Louisiana. Governor Charlie Baker warned that the state was still "in the surge" of the pandemic.
Massachusetts has now confirmed 1,108 deaths from the virus, after reporting 151 new deaths on Wednesday. The state now has at least 29,918 confirmed cases overall, with more than 20% of them in Suffolk County, which includes Boston.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said Wednesday that the city was only "at the beginning of the surge," with 4,286 coronavirus cases and 84 deaths confirmed. He said models showed the virus is expected to peak in Boston between April 26 and 28.
"I think that we're still in the beginning stages," Walsh said. "I think we're going to be, quite honestly, practicing and saying about social distancing and washing hands for quite some time."
Massachusetts passed 1,000 deaths just one day after Louisiana reached that grim milestone. As of Wednesday, New Jersey has reported 3,156 deaths; Michigan has reported 1,921; and New York leads the nation with 203,377 confirmed cases overall and 11,586 deaths.