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2,455 confirmed cases, 32 deaths, and 83,879 vaccinations: See today’s new COVID-19 data from Mass.

A vaccine was administered today at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center vaccine clinic at La Colaborativa in ChelseaCraig F. Walker/Globe Staff/The Boston Globe

Massachusetts reported 2,455 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday, while the seven-day average continued its worrisome rise, rising to 2,048 from 2,022 the day before.

The number of communities considered at high-risk for the virus jumped to 55, more than double the number reported two weeks ago, according to data from the state Department of Public Health.

With experts warning of the possibility of another surge, department also reported that the high-stakes campaign to vaccinate people got another 83,879 shots into people’s arms.

The new confirmed coronavirus cases brought the total number in the state during the pandemic to 600,632. The department also reported 32 new confirmed coronavirus deaths, bringing the state’s toll to 16,876.

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The state remains in a struggle with the coronavirus more than a year after it arrived. Experts say fast-spreading coronavirus variants, pandemic fatigue and spring fever, and loosened restrictions could be behind a recent increase in cases. Officials are urging people to not let their guard down, while they try to vaccinate as quickly as possible.

The DPH said 32,868 people were estimated to have active cases of the potentially deadly virus, and 700 confirmed coronavirus patients were in the hospital.

The DPH also reported that 107,740 more tests had been conducted for coronavirus. The total number of tests administered climbed to more than 18.9 million. New antigen tests had been completed for 3,681 people, bringing that total to 654,412.

The DPH reported that the seven-day average rate of positive tests, which is calculated from the total number of tests administered, was at 2.49 percent.

The department said the rate would be 4.2 percent if the effect of college testing programs — in which asymptomatic people can be tested repeatedly in an effort to rapidly identify new cases — is factored out.

New data from DPH also showed that 55 of the state’s 351 cities and towns are considered high-risk for the virus, up from 32 communities last week and 20 the week before.

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Communities added to the high-risk category included Abington, Adams, Athol, Ayer, Brockton, Canton, Carver, Dracut, Everett, Framingham, Granby, Halifax, Hampden, Lakeville, Ludlow, Mansfield, Milford, Nantucket, Orange, Peabody, Raynham, Saugus, Seekonk, Southborough, Springfield, Tyngsborough, Ware, West Boylston, and Williamstown.

Bellingham, Haverhill, Lancaster, Lee, Millis, and Southwick dropped out of the high-risk list this week.

Massachusetts school officials on Thursday also reported 1,045 new cases among public school students and staff members for the week that ended Wednesday — the highest weekly total since the start of the academic year. There were 801 new cases among students and 244 among school staff members.

Meanwhile, on the vaccination front, the relatively strong day of vaccinations brought the total number of shots administered to 3,638,590.

Thursday’s vaccination numbers outpaced Wednesday’s, when 71,434 were reported.

The total number of shots administered amounted to 83.7 percent of the 4,348,010 doses shipped to providers in the state so far, the Department of Public Health said.

The total shots administered included 2,268,511 first shots and 1,279,486 second shots of the Pfizer and Moderna two-shot vaccines. It also included 90,593 shots of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine.

The number of people fully vaccinated — with either two shots of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson — rose to 1,370,079. The state’s goal is to vaccinate 4.1 million adults to achieve herd immunity.

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Peter Bailey-Wells of the Globe staff and correspondent Jeremy C. Fox contributed to this report.


Martin Finucane can be reached at martin.finucane@globe.com.