Massachusetts reports 1,598 new coronavirus cases as hospitalizations go down

State health officials on Friday reported 1,598 new coronavirus cases and 18 new deaths as hospitalizations tick down for the third day in a row.

After Friday’s 1,598 new daily virus cases, the seven-day average of daily cases is now 1,014, which has increased slightly this week.

Several weeks ago, the daily average was 1,898 infections at the peak of the delta variant, and just one month ago, that rate was 1,340.

The positive test average has also been coming down, now standing at 1.92%, a drop from 2.98% several weeks ago.

The state reported 18 new COVID deaths, bringing the state’s total recorded death toll to 19,089. The seven-day average of deaths is now 9.7. The record-low daily death average was 1.3 in mid-July.

There are now 502 COVID patients in the state, a decrease of seven patients from the day prior. The seven-day average of hospitalizations is 517, which is down from nearly 700 in mid-September.

The state reported that 145 patients are in intensive care units, and 82 patients are currently intubated.

Of the 502 total hospitalizations, 168 patients are fully vaccinated — or about 33%. Those who are unvaccinated are at a much higher risk for a severe case.

As of Friday, 4.75 million people in Massachusetts are fully vaccinated against coronavirus, which is about 68% of the population, and 5 million have gotten at least one dose, about 71%. More than 561,000 people have also now gotten a booster shot.

Children across the country became eligible for coronavirus vaccination this week with the majority of appointments in Massachusetts opening up on Thursday. Children age 5-11 are currently eligible to receive a pediatric Pfizer vaccine, which is one-third the size of the adult dose.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3CPieeY