Cases surge 5,655 on Christmas Eve

76 new deaths

Massachusetts health officials reported 76 new coronavirus deaths and 5,655 new cases Thursday, as state officials brace for the impact of Christmas gatherings on already-strained hospitals with packed ICUs.

Thursday’s Christmas Eve count of 5,655 cases follows Wednesday’s count of 4,509 cases, Tuesday’s 3,293 cases, Monday’s 3,760 cases, and Sunday’s 4,162 cases.

Cases and hospitalizations have spiked after Thanksgiving, and ahead of Christmas as Gov. Charlie Baker has been urging people to not gather with family and friends outside their household.

The state on Thursday reported 76 more virus deaths, bringing the state’s total COVID-19 death toll to 11,963. The seven-day average of coronavirus daily deaths has dropped from a peak of 161 in May to 52 now.

Of Massachusetts’ 341,925 total recorded cases, at least 229,910 people have recovered. Health officials estimate there are 80,800 active cases across the state.

A total of 949 staff and students in Massachusetts schools have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past week, a dip from last week’s all-time high case count of 1,009, according to data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Thursday.

The seven-day weighted average of the state’s positive test rate — removing higher education institutions — has been higher for weeks, but has dipped this week. That number at the start of September was 1.63%, but the rate is now 7.02% after recently peaking at 8.10%.

Statewide coronavirus hospitalizations on Thursday rose by 29 patients, bringing the hospitalization total to 2,095.

The 2,095 patients is a significant jump from 436 patients at the start of November. The highest peak of Massachusetts’ coronavirus hospitalizations was 3,965 on April 21.

Of the state’s 11,963 total coronavirus deaths, 7,207 are connected to long-term care facilities.

The U.S. has recorded more than 328,000 coronavirus deaths. The country’s death toll is the highest in the world.

More than 18.5 million coronavirus cases have been recorded in the U.S. — also the most in the world.

NANCY LANE / HERALD STAFF TAKING THE VACCINE: Registerd nurse Thiara Grandison administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center’s Medical Director Dr. Christopher Zimmerman on Thursday.