Four more Fall River residents die due to COVID-19

FALL RIVER -- The city's COVID-19 death toll increased again Thursday. Four new fatalities were recorded, bringing the city's total to 59.

Also, 28 additional cases of COVID-19 were identified, bringing the total in Fall River to 1,391, according to a release from the mayor's office.

Mayor Paul Coogan encouraged residents to keep a sunny outlook.

"Please safely enjoy the weather and remain positive," Coogan said in a Facebook post.

Countywide, the total number of cases rose to 7,508 with 55 new cases. Deaths rose by 11 to 452.

Statewide, the total number of cases rose to 102,063, an increases of 471. And 50 new deaths were reported, bringing the state total to 7,201.

Gov. Charlie Baker did not have a press briefing on Thursday, skipping a turn in front of the cameras for the second time this week as he prepares to make a major announcement Saturday about the state's readiness to move to Phase Two of reopening.

All systems appear to point toward go. The key indicators that Baker has been watching - positive test rates and hospitalizations, among them -- continued to trend downward with the Department of Public Health reporting that the seven day average for positive tests was 5.7 percent.

At Charlton Memorial Hospital, there was a decrease in the number of patients. The total number of patients declined from 83 to 70, and the number of patients in intensive care dropped from 20 to 15.

With State House News Service reports.