Health officials in Massachusetts reported another 2,184 cases of the new coronavirus and 9 new deaths on Friday.
The update puts the total of confirmed cases at 615,947 and the death toll at 17,031, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Another 345 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19.
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Both the average number of coronavirus cases and average coronavirus test positivity reported each day have been slowly rising since about mid-March, after steady declines from the start of the year, according to the Department of Public Health's interactive coronavirus dashboard. In late March, the number of hospitalizations started to rise, as well.
On Friday, the seven-day average positive was at 2.38%, up from Thursday.
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The number of patients in Massachusetts hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 cases decreased to 711 Friday. Among those patients, 174 were listed as being in intensive care units and 106 were intubated.
Health officials' projection of active COVID-19 cases rose to 35,475 on Friday from 35,149 on Thursday.
According to Friday's vaccine report, 1,676,961 Massachusetts residents are fully vaccinated against the virus.
More than 4.3 million total doses have been administered in the state, including 2,640,124 first-dose shots of either Pfizer of Moderna. Over 141,000 Bay State residents have now received Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine.
On Thursday, the state released its weekly coronavirus data on COVID risk in cities and towns, which showed a 40% increase on the week before.
