Long Beach reported 76 people hospitalized for coronavirus on Thursday, up from 67 on Wednesday, officials said.

The increase comes as hospitalizations have remained relatively steady or shown slight increases in recent weeks.

The city on Wednesday applied to fast-track its reopening as officials said they’re confident that Long Beach’s numbers are moving in the right direction.

If the state gives the green light, Long Beach could move into the next phase of reopening, which would allow the city to reopen barbershops, beauty salons and dine-in service at restaurants possibly by this weekend. 

Overall, the city reported 1,741 positive coronavirus cases, up from 1,666 on Wednesday. Fatalities stood at 81, of which 62 are connected to long-term care facilities.

Officials noted that the daily case counts continue to fluctuate due to demand for testing and backlogs from laboratories.

A total of 496 positive cases have been reported at 25 long-term care facilities since the start of the pandemic.