Health & Fitness
Worcester Coronavirus Cases At 19, But Really Much Higher: City
The coronavirus case count rose by three on Tuesday, but the Worcester city manager says the real number is "significantly higher."
WORCESTER, MA — As expected, the number of new coronavirus cases rose again on Tuesday. The city added three new cases, bringing the total to 19.
But the real number of COVID-19 cases is "significantly higher" in the area, City Manager Edward Augustus said on Tuesday. He explained that COVID-19 test results get entered into a state computer system, which officials then release to the public. But there's a lag time of several days entering that data.
Worcester Medical Director Dr. Michael Hirsch echoed Augustus, and said that coronavirus hasn't fully hit the area yet. He also referenced comments made by President Donald Trump about opening up the U.S. in a few weeks — something the medical community does not agree with, Hirsch said.
"The wave has not quite hit," Hirsch said. "The numbers are falsely low and the virus is going to demonstrate its surge over the next several weeks.
"It's not the time to open things back up and have a happy Easter."
Statewide, the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 1,159 on Tuesday as testing ramped up, up by almost 400 cases compared to Monday. That number includes 73 cases in Worcester County. The county also saw its first coronavirus death this week when a woman in her 80s died from complications due to the disease, state health officials said.
