Massachusetts health officials on Thursday reported 1,999 new coronavirus cases, as both the positive test rate and COVID hospitalizations ticked down.
Infections have been higher amid the more highly contagious delta variant. The nearly 2,000 new virus cases now bring the daily average of infections to 1,333. The daily average was 223 two months ago.
The daily average percent positivity has been ticking down in recent weeks. The percent positivity is now 2.30%, compared to 2.98% a few weeks ago.
The positive test average was 1.61% for Thursday’s report.
State health officials also reported 16 new COVID deaths, bringing the state’s total recorded death toll to 18,424.
The daily average of deaths is now 9.9, up from the record-low death count of 1.3 in mid-July.
COVID hospitalizations went down by 31 patients, bringing the total to 675 patients.
There are now 173 patients in intensive care units, and 97 patients are currently intubated.
Of the 675 total patients, 213 patients are fully vaccinated — or about 32%. Those who are unvaccinated are at a much higher risk for a severe case.
Wednesday’s count of 2,716 new virus cases was the highest single-day tally since February. However, the state Department of Public Health later clarified the higher total, saying the numbers “include a backlog of testing results from September 10-September 13 not previously reported to DPH.”
“This resulted in an increase to today’s reported case counts,” DPH said in a statement.
Meanwhile, DPH released its county level data. Hampden County in western Massachusetts has both the highest average daily incidence rate and the highest percent positivity during the last two weeks.
Hampden County’s average daily incidence rate per 100,000 is now 39.4, which compares to the state average of 23.1 over the last two weeks. The county’s percent positivity is now 5.41%, which is more than double the state average of 2.35%.
Overall in the Bay State, more than 4.57 million people are fully vaccinated, and more than 5 million people have gotten at least one shot.
