Nearly 5 million vaccine doses administered
State health officials on Friday reported 1,962 new coronavirus cases and 13 new deaths as Massachusetts’ vaccine rollout charges forward with nearly 5 million doses administered.
As of Friday, 5.7 million vaccine doses have been shipped to the state and 4.6 million have been given out, according to the daily vaccine report from the Department of Public Health.
More than 1.9 million residents are now fully vaccinated against the disease that has infected a total of 628,512 people in the Bay State. Friday’s 13 new deaths bring the death toll up to 17,100.
The number of estimated active cases across the state is now 40,770 which is up from 39,331 one week ago. The seven-day average of confirmed coronavirus cases is now 1,359, a decrease from 1,408 just one week ago.
The seven-day average death rate is 8.1. The lowest that rate has ever been was 3.7 in September. Deaths have been low in recent weeks which health experts attribute to vaccination.
The state’s seven-day average weighted positive test rate is 2.28%, down slightly from 2.35% a week ago.
Statewide hospitalizations have been dropping recently and hospitalizations on Friday went down by 11 patients, bringing the total to 699 patients. There are 164 patients in the intensive care unit and 98 are intubated.
The seven-day average of the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 has declined from 2,347 patients at the start of January to an average of 703 patients now. The lowest rate ever was 155 in late August.
Of the state’s total cases of coronavirus, more than 30,000 have been in longterm care facilities, where the majority of staff and residents are now fully vaccinated as they were among the first groups on the priority list.
More than 31.5 million Americans have been infected with COVID-19 and 565,000 people have died, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.