On a day that Massachusetts hit hit a vaccination milestone and reported no new COVID-19 deaths, the Baker administration's effort to get shots in arms drew praise from none other than the president of the United States.
Gov. Charlie Baker joined governors from across the country on a virtual livestream with Democrat President Joe Biden to highlight vaccination efforts targeted at underserved populations. As the Republican governor wrapped up his remarks, Biden replied , "Thanks, Charlie. Thank you. You're doing a hell of a job."
Massachusetts crossed the 3 million mark for full vaccinations on Tuesday at a faster pace than previous thresholds. The state hit 1 million full vaccinations on March 19, more than four months after the first shot was administered, and 2 million vaccinations 29 days later on April 17.
While the effort to reach those who still have not gotten vaccinated continues, the state's COVID-19 outlook remains in a more optimistic place than a few months ago. The Department of Public Health reported 472 new cases on Tuesday from 41,692 tests, and the seven-day average positive test rate ticked up from 1.26 percent to 1.32 percent.
For only the second time since June 1, 2020, the department reported no new COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday. The first instance came on June 30, 2020. Including those who died with likely but unconfirmed cases, the state's cumulative death toll remains at 17,698.
DPH reported 14 more people were hospitalized than the day earlier, pushing the total count to 441. The department's estimate of active cases fell to 17,455, the fourth-lowest since it began producing those projections in November.
