COVID in MA: 1,431 New Cases and 17 More Deaths

Health officials in Massachusetts reported another 1,431 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus and 17 new deaths on Thursday.

The update puts the total of confirmed cases at 636,476 and the death toll at 17,168, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Another 347 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19.

The average number of coronavirus cases, average coronavirus test positivity and average number of confirmed deaths reported each day have been falling since the end of March, according to trends posted to the Department of Public Health's interactive coronavirus dashboard.

On Thursday, the seven-day average of positive tests was at 2%, down slightly from Wednesday.

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Massachusetts is struggling through the coronavirus pandemic, but it's not the first outbreak to hit our state over the last few centuries. We'll take you through the history and how what happened to the diseases and viruses that have hurt us before.

The number of patients in Massachusetts hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 cases fell to 645. Among those patients, 158 were listed as being in intensive care units and 96 were intubated.

Health officials' projection of active COVID-19 cases decreased to 31,215 on Thursday from 32,134 on Wednesday.

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According to Thursday's vaccine report, more than 2.18 million Massachusetts residents are fully vaccinated against the virus.

Nearly 5.4 million total doses have now been administered in the state, including more than 3.2 million first-dose shots of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.