Massachusetts health officials reported another 1,046 confirmed coronavirus cases -- the first single-day total over 1,000 since early May -- and two new deaths on Thursday.
The report pushed the state's confirmed COVID-19 caseload to 676,387 since the start of the pandemic and its death toll to 17,723. The last time more than 1,046 COVID cases were reported in one day was on May 1, and the last prior day over 1,000 cases without including multiple days in the report was 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 ticked down slightly to 2.61% on Thursday. 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 264; the figure was once nearly 4,000, but averaged under 85 in July. Of those currently hospitalized, 55 are listed as being in intensive care units and 19 are intubated.
More Mass. COVID News
More than 8.9 million vaccine doses have been administered in Massachusetts as of Thursday. That includes nearly 4.6 million first shots and approaching 4.1 million second shots of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. There have been more than 290,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered.
Health officials on Thursday reported that a total of 4,379,665 Bay State residents have been fully vaccinated.
