Mass. reports 262 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 28 new deaths

A person was tested for coronavirus recently at a pop-up site in Boston.Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff

The death toll from confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Massachusetts rose by 28 to 8,645, state officials reported Wednesday, and the number of confirmed cases climbed by 262, bringing the total to 115,048.

Key metrics being monitored by state officials are still low relative to the springtime surge, but Wednesday’s numbers come as state officials announced that nearly all Massachusetts students, from day care to graduate school, will be required to get a flu shot to help reduce “the overall impact of respiratory illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

State officials reported Wednesday that 19,508 more people had been tested for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of individuals tested to 1,487,273. The total number of tests administered climbed to 1,974,918.

The state reported that new antibody tests had been completed for 666 people, bringing that total to 106,540.

The seven-day weighted average of positive tests was at 1.4 percent, according to the state. The lowest observed value for that metric was 1.3 percent.

The three-day average of hospitalized coronavirus patients dropped slightly to 369 as of Tuesday. That number was 3 percent from its lowest observed value, which was 359.

The number of hospitals using surge capacity increased to two on Tuesday; the lowest it has been is zero. And the three-day average of deaths from confirmed coronavirus cases was 12 as of Sunday; the lowest observed level has been 11.

Wednesday’s numbers come as many across the state keep a close eye on reopening plans for both K-12 schools and the myriad colleges and universities that Massachusetts hosts.

A new daily COVID-19 report from Boston University showed the campus has seen 16 positive cases so far; 15 are in isolation, while one case is “confirmed non-contagious.”

Meanwhile, a University of Massachusetts model predicts the state’s coronavirus death toll could rise to around 9,200 by Sept. 12. The number could range from 9,091 to 9,363, researchers noted.

The forecast comes from a lab headed by UMass Amherst associate professor Nicholas Reich that collects various coronavirus pandemic models and develops a combined — or ensemble — forecast that is intended to reflect their collective wisdom.

Researchers from Google who collaborated with Harvard on a model that looks two weeks ahead are predicting an additional 157 deaths in the Aug. 17-Aug. 30 period.

The closely watched University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation model predicts that Massachusetts will see 10,314 coronavirus deaths by Dec. 1.