Massachusetts health officials announced 899 new COVID-19 cases and 10 more deaths on Thursday.
In total, there have been 1,550,911 cases and 18,926 deaths since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. That death toll is lower than it was last week, as the state amended its data beginning Monday.
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The state reported 228 people hospitalized for COVID-19 on Thursday. Of that total, 29 are in intensive care and 11 are intubated.
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The state's seven-day average positivity rate came in at 1.59% Thursday, compared to 1.53% on Wednesday.
Massachusetts' COVID metrics, tracked on the Department of Public Health's interactive coronavirus dashboard, have declined since the omicron surge and appear to have leveled out.
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Experts have said that case count reporting may be a less accurate indicator during the omicron surge, given the difficulties in getting tested and widespread use of rapid tests that go unreported. Officials also warn that health care systems are still under great pressure from the influx of COVID-19 patients and related staffing shortages.
More than 14 million vaccine doses have now been administered in Massachusetts. That includes more than 5.8 million first doses of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, 4.9 million second shots, and over 341,000 Johnson & Johnson one-dose shots. Nearly 2.9 million booster shots have been administered.
Health officials on Thursday reported that a total of 5,309,734 Massachusetts residents have been fully vaccinated.
