Worcester Begins To See Coronavirus 'Thanksgiving Spike'

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester added a whopping 1,268 new coronavirus cases over the past week, which city health officials believe is the first sign of a spike in cases related to the Thanksgiving holiday.

With the spike in new cases, there are also some patterns emerging. Worcester's cases are skewing younger, with 702 of the new cases over the last week detected in people under age 40. And just over 500 of the new cases can be traced to 201 families in the city, officials said.

The increase in cases is also taking a toll on the city's healthcare centers. There were 192 people being treated for the virus between UMass Memorial and St. Vincent Hospital, an increase of 48 people from last week. The number of people being treated in intensive care rose by six to a total of 40. There are also two children in a pediatric ICU being treated for the virus.

The field hospital at the DCU Center was treating about 30 people as of Thursday evening. Half were from Worcester hospitals, and half were from as far away as Haverhill and Boston.

"We are now starting to see the spikes," Worcester Health and Human Services Commissioner Dr. Matilde Castiel said during a Thursday news conference.

Thursday's weekly press conference wasn't just notable for the high number of cases. City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. was absent after testing positive for the virus on Wednesday. Mayor Joseph Petty was also absent because he is in quarantine after having had contact with Augustus on Monday.

Augustus is doing well, Worcester Medical Director Michael Hirsh said, but is experiencing symptoms.

There are 25 total active cases in city employees, including 11 police officers, four firefighters and four Department of Public Works employees.

Health officials are expecting the Thanksgiving wave to continue and get worse through the next week. After that, health officials will brace for a second wave related to the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

"The tsunami is just cresting," Hirsh said.