Massachusetts health officials reported 1,915 new COVID-19 cases and eight new deaths on Thursday.
In total, there have been 1,765,659 cases and 19,709 deaths since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
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The state reported 491 people hospitalized for COVID-19 as of Thursday's data release, with 147 being primary cases. Of the total hospitalizations, 48 are in intensive care and 15 are intubated.
Massachusetts' COVID metrics, tracked on the Department of Public Health's interactive coronavirus dashboard, have trended back down after a spring bump, but experts warn that this summer will be more challenging than last year, with a much higher level of COVID-19 in Massachusetts.
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More on the COVID-19 pandemic
Most of Massachusetts' 14 is now considered low risk for COVID-19, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The most recent peak was attributed to subvariants of omicron — first, it was the "stealth" omicron variant BA.2, and more recently the BA.2. 12.1 subvariant. Other variants have since been identified in New England as well.
The state's seven-day average positivity was at 5.85% Thursday, compared to 5.74% on Wednesday.
This spring bump was well below the types of case counts and hospitalizations seen at height of the omicron surge in January, when average daily case counts reached over 28,000 and hospitalizations peaked at around 3,300.
COVID levels in wastewater, as reported by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's tracking system have also started to signal declines. The levels of virus seen in the wastewater also remain nowhere near where they were during the peak of the omicron surge.
Experts have also said that case count reporting became a less accurate indicator during the omicron surge, given the difficulties in getting tested. Now, widespread use of rapid tests means that some results go unreported.
More than 15 million vaccine doses have now been administered in Massachusetts.
Health officials on Monday reported that a total of 5,407,294 Massachusetts residents have been fully vaccinated.
