SANTIAGO -- The Chilean Ministry of Health reported on Friday that the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country has risen to 326,539, with 8,347 deaths.

According to the ministry, 98 new deaths and 2,840 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours.

The ministry's report said that 1,796 people are currently hospitalized in intensive care units across the country, with 1,502 patients on ventilators. Of these, 327 are in critical condition.

The Ministry of Health also said that 18,699 tests for COVID-19 were administered in the last 24 hours, for a total of 1,370,603 tests administered since the virus was first detected in the country in March.

Authorities have pointed to an improvement in the pandemic figures, which show a sustained decrease in new cases as well as a decrease in hospital occupancy and in the number of deaths from the virus.

For this reason, officials have begun to speak about a "new normal" in the country, with the eventual removal of quarantines and restrictive measures in certain areas.