Confirmed COVID-19 cases climbed by 2,841 Saturday, the state reported, bringing the Massachusetts total to 180,468. The state’s death toll also reached 10,065, with 27 newly reported confirmed deaths.
Saturday’s increase in confirmed cases was the highest single-day hike in the recent surge of coronavirus cases that have been reported across Massachusetts.
The last time the state reported so many new cases in one day was April 24, when the Department of Public Health announced 2,877 cases.
The state said 29,082 people were estimated to have active virus cases.
State officials on Saturday reported that 111,066 more tests had been conducted for coronavirus. The total number of tests administered climbed to just shy of 7.2 million. New antigen tests had been completed for 2,965 people, bringing that total to 221,431.
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The seven-day average rate of positive tests, which is calculated from the total number of tests administered, was at 3.1 percent as of Friday. The lowest observed figure for that metric — a number watched closely by state officials — is .8 percent, which was recorded in September.
The seven-day average of hospitalized coronavirus patients reached 641 as of Friday.
The seven-day average of deaths from confirmed cases was 20 on Friday. Since the beginning of the month, that figure has ranged from 18 to 22 deaths.
The state recently changed the way it reports some statistics related to positive tests. It introduced a new metric that attempts to isolate the effect of public health programs undertaken by colleges, in which asymptomatic people can be tested repeatedly in an effort to rapidly identify new cases.
On Saturday, the state reported that the seven-day rate would be 5.19 percent if not for people tested in higher education settings. However, the state’s overall rate still includes others who might be repeatedly tested, such as health care workers, long-term care providers and residents, and first responders.
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John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com.