The number of coronavirus cases across the state continued to rise for the fourth consecutive day Thursday, with both the average seven-day number of new cases and the number of hospitalizations climbing higher.

In all, the state added 4,566 new cases to its ledger on Thursday, an increase of 0.5% from Wednesday. It has recorded 944,576 cases of COVID-19 since the the outbreak started.

The seven-day average in Wednesday’s latest figures compiled by this news organization rose to 4,833.71, the most since Sept. 2 and an increase of nearly 800 since Halloween. The 14-day positivity rate has jumped from about 2.6% in late October to 3.3% through Wednesday.

There also were seven new deaths recorded in the Bay Area, with three in Santa Clara County and two each in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Santa Clara County has recorded 18 deaths from COVID-19 over the past four days.

In state hospitals, the news isn’t much better. The 3,419 patients confirmed to have COVID-19 marked the highest number of hospitalizations for the virus since the month began. Overall, the state has already seen 200 new hospitalizations in November. The number of those patients in the intensive-care unit is now at 901, marking the first time the number has surpassed 900 since Sept. 22.

In Alameda County, 57% of hospital beds were being used, while that number was 63% in Santa Clara County and 65% in San Francisco County.

The increase in cases throughout the state already has had ramifications locally. Contra Costa County ordered several kinds of businesses — religious gatherings, indoor dining, movie theaters among them — to reduce capacity from 50% to 25% starting Friday. The county had entered second-highest orange or “moderate” tier last week, along with other counties in the state, and the increase in new cases has followed. The county’s seven-day average of new cases through Wednesday was up to 100.57; on Oct. 18, the seven-day average was 60.71 new cases.

Santa Clara County’s seven-day average has held relatively steady over the past week, with the number at 148.57 through Wednesday. Still, that’s a more than 50% increase from the seven-day average of 90.43 on Oct. 19. San Mateo County’s seven-day average on Wednesday was 50.14 new cases, a rise by 10 new cases a day over the past two and a rise of 17 a day since Oct. 17. In San Francisco, the seven-day average new case load (55.57) has more than doubled since Oct. 11 (24.71).

Only in Alameda County is the trend line moving more favorably. That county has gone from an average 108 cases on Oct. 24 to 104.86 on Wednesday. That county experienced its spike between Oct.18 and Oct. 24, when it’s seven-day average rose from 55.29 to 108.