Health officials are urging more people to be vaccinated against coronavirus.
Massachusetts health officials reported another 742 confirmed coronavirus cases -- the most in a single day since early May -- and eight new deaths on Thursday.
The report pushed the state's confirmed COVID-19 caseload to 671,644 since the start of the pandemic and its death toll to 17,711. The last time Massachusetts reported more than 742 cases in one day was 795, on May 8.
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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 1.92% 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 176; the figure was once nearly 4,000. Of those currently hospitalized, 39 are listed as being in intensive care units and 17 are intubated.
More Mass. COVID News
Nearly 8.9 million vaccine doses have been administered in Massachusetts as of Thursday. 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 287,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered.
Health officials on Thursday reported that a total of 4,351,752 Bay State residents have been fully vaccinated.
