State health officials confirmed another 455 coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases across Massachusetts to at least 126,863.
Officials also announced 15 more COVID-related deaths, for a total now of 9,150.
Thursday’s case increase is based on 18,556 new molecular tests. There are 375 Massachusetts residents currently hospitalized with COVID-19, including 75 patients in intensive care.
Over the last seven days, there have been an average of 402 cases per day in Massachusetts, which is a 40% increase from the average two weeks earlier, according to a New York Times analysis. Cases are on the rise in more than a dozen states, mot noticeably in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Iowa and Utah, among others.
On Thursday, officials at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston said that a cluster of five patients and five staff members there have tested positive for COVID-19. The cluster was detected by infection control at Braunwald Tower units 16A and 14 CD, hospital officials said.
Marlborough and Holliston were the two Massachusetts communities upgraded on the state’s COVID risk assessment map to “high risk,” according to data released Wednesday. There are now 15 communities at high risk for COVID transmission. Those 15 communities include: Chelsea, Everett, Framingham, Holliston, Lawrence, Lynn, Marlborough, Nantucket, New Bedford, Revere, Saugus, Tyngsborough, Winthrop, Worcester and Wrentham.
Wednesday’s map looks at case data from Sept. 9 through Sept. 19.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh on Wednesday said the city of Boston “is very close to moving into the red category” on the statewide map, noting that the city has seen an uptick in hospitalizations recently.
“It’s not time to panic, but we don’t want to go back to a situation where we’re shutting everything down,” Walsh said on Wednesday during a press conference outside City Hall. “I think that for the most part that won’t happen here; but at the same time, the virus is unpredictable and we’re taking it one day at a time.”
News of rising infections in Boston come as Gov. Charlie Baker announced that restaurants can expand seating of up to 10 people per table and utilize bar seating beginning on Monday. Bars and nightclubs will still remain closed. Boston plans to keep the seating limited to six people per table.
These are the number of coronavirus cases in each county as of Thursday:
Barnstable County: 1,728
Berkshire County: 705
Bristol County: 9,895
Dukes County: 63
Essex County: 19,422
Franklin County: 405
Hampden County: 8,098
Hampshire County: 1,211
Middlesex County: 27,014
Nantucket County: 88
Norfolk County: 10,142
Plymouth County: 9,592
Suffolk County: 23,988
Worcester County: 14,218
Unknown location: 294
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