Friday: One patient hospitalized with COVID-19

Updated Friday, April 24 3:41 pm to include state info

Martha’s Vineyard Hospital reports that one patient is currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and the number of confirmed cases on the Island remains at 16.

As of Friday morning, 328 patients have been tested in total, and 303 of those tests have come back negative, with 9 pending tests.

In a press conference Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker said the commonwealth is continuing to expand testing, and has been focusing on high-incident areas like nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and communities with higher numbers of cases. 

As the state continues through its surge in cases, Baker said health officials are continuously monitoring hospital capacities across the board, and noted that hospitals in Massachusetts are well-prepared to deal with the rising number of cases.

He also said hospitals are in a good spot to care for not only those afflicted with COVID-19, but for patients with other health issues that make up the majority of most hospital populations. 

Baker also discussed the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, of which Massachusetts was one of the first states to implement. 

This program provides benefits to people who have lost their jobs due to the ongoing public health crisis, but do not necessarily qualify for conventional unemployment assistance, such as contractors, self-employed people, gig workers, and private consultants.

“There is much more to do, and sadly, the economic toll that’s with us is going to be with us for a while, there’s no question about that,” Baker said. “To have numbers like the ones we continue to have here are unprecedented, and speak in very big, loud, and significant terms about how big a deal this economic downturn is.”

In total, Baker said more than 650,000 new unemployment claims have been filed since March 15, and the state is currently paying approximately 400,000 people — four times the number of people who were collecting unemployment in February.

Baker thanked all public service employees, whether it be transportation, human services, or consumer affairs, for their continued dedication.

“These are all the folks who are showing up every day to work on your behalf,” Baker said. “We need people to continue to do their part, not just for themselves and their families and their neighbors, they need to do it for all those essential workers.”