Coronavirus

Mass. COVID Test Positivity Tops 2%; 844 New COVID Cases, 3 Deaths Confirmed

Massachusetts' COVID metrics are far lower than they were several months ago, but some have been rising in recent weeks

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Massachusetts health officials reported another 844 confirmed coronavirus cases -- the most in a single day since early May -- and three new deaths on Friday, while the rate of tests returning positive is once again above 2%.

The report pushed the state's confirmed COVID-19 caseload to 672,488 since the start of the pandemic and its death toll to 17,714. The last time Massachusetts reported more than 844 cases in one day was on May 5.

The state's 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 rose to 2.07% on Friday. It was once above 30%, but had dropped under 0.5% until the delta variant began surging in the state.

The number of patients in Massachusetts hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 197; the figure was once nearly 4,000. Of those currently hospitalized, 40 are listed as being in intensive care units and 21 are intubated.

Nearly 8.9 million vaccine doses have been administered in Massachusetts as of Friday. That includes nearly 4.6 million first shots and more than 4 million second shots of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. There have been more than 288,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered.

Health officials on Friday reported that a total of 4,356,202 Bay State residents have been fully vaccinated.

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