Massachusetts health officials reported another 1,459 confirmed coronavirus cases -- the most in one day since mid-April -- and six new deaths on Friday.
The report pushed the state's number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 694,552 since the start of the pandemic and its death toll to 17,805. The last time at least 1,459 COVID cases were reported in one day was April 17.
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Massachusetts' COVID metrics, tracked on the Department of Public Health's interactive coronavirus dashboard, are far lower than they were several months ago, though some have been rising in recent weeks. While breakthrough cases are being reported, officials say most new cases, and especially serious infections, are in the unvaccinated.
Massachusetts' seven-day average of positive tests ticked up to 2.81% on Friday. It was once above 30%, but had dropped under 0.5% until the delta variant began surging in the state.
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The number of patients in Massachusetts hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 467; the figure was once nearly 4,000, but averaged under 85 in July. Of those currently hospitalized, 140 are vaccinated, 108 are listed as being in intensive care units and 49 are intubated.
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Nearly 9.1 million vaccine doses have been administered in Massachusetts. That includes over 4.6 million first shots and more than 4.1 million second shots of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. There have been more than 298,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered.
Health officials on Friday reported that a total of 4,444,258 Bay State residents have been fully vaccinated.
