Health officials in Massachusetts reported another 1,938 cases of COVID-19 and eight new deaths on Wednesday.
The update puts the total of confirmed cases at 613,763 and the death toll at 17,022, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Another 344 deaths are considered probably linked to COVID-19.
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 Thursday, the seven-day average positive was at 2.29%, down from Wednesday.
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The number of patients in Massachusetts hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 cases went down to 735 Thursday, a decrease of 20 from the previous day. Among those patients, 176 were listed as being in intensive care units and 95 were intubated.
Health officials' projection of active COVID-19 cases increased from 35,075 on Wednesday to 35,149 on Thursday.
According to Thursday's vaccine report, 1,617,249 Massachusetts residents are fully vaccinated against the virus.
More than 4.2 million total doses have been administered in the state, including 2,586,903 first-dose shots of either Pfizer of Moderna. Over 129,000 Bay State residents have now received Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine.
This week, some public health experts have urged Gov. Charlie Baker to accelerate the vaccine eligibility timeline. People 55 and older and those with one or more specific medical condition qualify for the vaccine, with everyone 16 and older set to become eligible on April 19.
