BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Thursday said Boston continues to move in the right direction with respect to combatting the coronavirus and that initial benchmarks set for continuing the phased reopening have been met.
“We have confirmed that 7,257 people are fully recovered from COVID-19 in the city of Boston,” Walsh said during a news conference at the City Hall. “We are continuing recoveries at two or three times the rate of new cases, which is a very positive trend.”
Coronavirus data shows that Boston is “continuing to move in the right direction,” according to Walsh.
“We have met initial benchmarks that we set for moving forward in a gradual reopening,” Walsh said.
During the COVID-19 surge in April, Boston hospitals were treating ICU patients at more than 120 percent of their normal capacity. The city had set a benchmark of getting below 85 percent, according to Walsh. As of Thursday, he said that number had fallen to 81 percent.
“Anyone with any type of medical illness, please make sure you call 911 or use the hospital,” Walsh said.
On Tuesday, the last COVID-19 patient was released from Boston Hope Medical Center — a field hospital that was built to help combat the surge.
“We have suspended operations pending future needs. That’s a positive milestone,” Walsh said. “It truly is a Boston success story.”
Another key benchmark that Boston had set was increasing testing capacity to 1,500 coronavirus tests per day by June 1.
“We met that benchmark. We got there by supporting and funding our community health centers and also by creating mobile testing for highly-impacted, vulnerable populations,” Walsh explained.
Walsh noted that Boston has since expanded testing to public housing in senior buildings, in addition to providing tests for asymptomatic people whose job or medical status put them at risk.
“In all our communal positive test rates are down to just below 23 percent, which is a good sign,” Walsh said. “And for the week that ended on Saturday, our positive test rate was 7.5 percent.”
Walsh added that both of those numbers are new lows since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
“All of this progression on the coronavirus is good news, however, we are now in a period of two weeks beyond the start of the state’s reopening plan on May 18, so we are monitoring data very closely to see if there is any change in the trends of coronavirus,” Walsh said.
Walsh urged all residents to continue to wear face coverings in public, practice social distancing, wash their hands frequently, sanitize surfaces, and stay home if sick.
He also asked all businesses and offices that plan to reopen in the coming days to adhere to city and state safety guidelines that have been put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“A gradual reopening means a gradual economic recovery,” Walsh said.
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