337 new COVID-19 cases, 18 additional deaths reported in Massachusetts – WCVB Boston

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported an additional 337 confirmed COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the statewide total to 655,687 since the start of the pandemic.State health officials also added 18 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths to the state’s total, which is now 17,384.DPH said it was informed of a reporting lag from a large laboratory which resulted in a lower number of tests and cases being reported Friday. Those results will be included in Saturday’s dashboard.So far, about 8.33 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to Massachusetts, of which about 7.03 million, or 84.3%, have been administered. So far, about 3.13 million people in the state are fully vaccinated.An estimated 14,884 cases are active across Massachusetts, according to the report, the lowest mark reported since the metric was introduced last fall. Click here to see a graphical look at COVID-19 dataLatest town-by-town breakdown released by state The report said 376 patients with confirmed coronavirus cases were hospitalized in Massachusetts, of which 104 were reported to be in an intensive care unit.In the DPH’s weekly report released on Thursday, 6 communities were in the “Red,” or at high risk of COVID-19, down from 13 communities last week. The state says there have been 624,708 recoveries, according to the latest weekly report.Massachusetts COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and fatalitiesMassachusetts vaccination progressNew data is typically published daily around 5 p.m. and weekly reports are typically released on Thursdays, also around 5 p.m.