BOSTON (WHDH) - Massachusetts health officials on Wednesday reported 1,368 new COVID-19 cases and eight additional deaths as the statewide positivity rate increased again.
Since the state began tracking coronavirus metrics, there have been 683,608 total confirmed COVID-19 cases and 17,751 deaths.
There are currently 346 people hospitalized due to the virus and 86 people in the intensive care unit.
The seven-day positivity rate now sits at 2.91 percent. It had dropped well below 1 percent before the highly contagious Delta variant led to the recent surge in new cases.
The majority of the new confirmed cases in recent weeks have been among people between the ages of 20 and 39.
On Tuesday, health officials reported 2,232 new breakthrough COVID-19 cases among fully vaccinated residents, up from the 7,737 cases that were reported on July 31.
Six counties in Massachusetts are now considered high risk for COVID-19 transmission, while seven others are at a substantial risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 4,379,000 Bay Staters have been fully vaccinated since the shots became available.
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