Massachusetts health officials on Tuesday reported 4,466 new coronavirus cases from the long weekend as total COVID hospitalizations in the Bay State continue to drop.
The state Department of Public Health also reported 4,034 breakthrough cases from last week, which was a bit up from 3,741 cases during the previous week.
Virus cases had been climbing for months with the more highly contagious delta variant, but infection tallies have been lower in recent weeks.
The four-day total of 4,466 cases — a daily average of 1,117 infections — was a similar daily rate as last weekend’s daily average of 1,094 cases. The previous weekend’s daily average was 1,365 cases, and the weekend before that was 1,455 cases.
After the new 4,466 virus cases, the seven-day daily average of cases is now 971. A month ago, the daily average was 1,896 infections.
The positive test average has been coming down. The percent positivity is now 1.88%, a drop from 2.98% last month. The daily positive test rate for Tuesday’s report was 1.87%.
The state reported 36 new COVID deaths, bringing the state’s total recorded death toll to 18,783. The seven-day average of deaths is now 10.4. The record-low daily death average was 1.3 in mid-July.
There are now 541 COVID patients in the state, a drop of 21 patients over the long weekend.
The state reported that 144 patients are in intensive care units, and 92 patients are currently intubated.
Of the 541 total hospitalizations, 192 patients are fully vaccinated — or about 35%. Those who are unvaccinated are at a much higher risk for a severe case.
Breakthrough cases rose a bit last week after the count of breakthrough cases dropped in Massachusetts during the previous two weeks.
In the weekly breakthrough report, the state reported a weekly increase of 148 fully vaxxed patients. That’s up from the previous weekly increase of 125 fully vaxxed patients. The 1,428 total hospitalizations among fully vaccinated people represents 0.03% of those who are fully vaxxed.
There was a one-week increase of 45 breakthrough deaths. The previous weekly increase was 37 deaths. The state has reported 345 breakthrough deaths, or 0.007% of those who are fully vaxxed.
More than 4.6 million people in Massachusetts are fully vaccinated, and more than 5.1 million people have gotten at least one shot. The state reported that 200,965 people have gotten a booster dose.
