'Sharp rise' in Needham COVID cases attributed to household clusters Wicked Local While most of the Massachusetts public waits for more information about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the highly infectious disease continues to spread at a rapid clip. Public health officials counted another 5,545 confirmed new cases Thursday, plus 410 more probable cases, alongside 101,413 tests. The Department of Public Health estimates 91,396 residents are currently ill with an active case of the respiratory illness, a figure slightly smaller than the population of Lynn. Twenty-one more hospital patients have confirmed cases of COVID-19 than in Wednesday's report, though the total count of 2,226 is down slightly from the 2,311 recorded one week ago. Of those still in the hospital, 454 are in intensive care units and 294 are intubated.