Health & Fitness
Worcester Coronavirus 'Surge Is Here,' Officials Say
Worcester's medical director said Wednesday that the coronavirus wave is cresting as the city nears 1,000 cases.
WORCESTER, MA — The long-forecasted coronavirus surge has hit the Worcester area as the total number of cases in the city hit 910.
On top of that, officials reported a new death at a nursing home, a Worcester homeless shelter nearing capacity with people who have tested positive for coronavirus, and personal protection gear at "critical" levels at medical facilities.
Local hospitals are "recognizing that the surge is here," Worcester Medical Director Michael Hirsh said on Wednesday. "Their numbers are going up, the percentage of ICU beds is going down."
At Worcester's two main hospitals, Saint Vincent and UMass Memorial, there are 208 people being treated for coronavirus, plus 79 people in intensive-care beds. Thirty-six people have died of the virus in those hospitals, and 106 staff members have tested positive.
The virus is also hitting senior care facilities. Officials on Tuesday reported a cluster of cases at the Blaire House nursing home, and overnight one of those people died. A staff member at the Eisenberg Assisted Living facility along Salisbury Street has tested positive, and now a whole floor at the facility is undergoing testing.
The National Guard was in Worcester on Tuesday testing residents at other senior facilities, including the Dodge Park Rest Home, the Notre Dame Long Term Care Center, and the Odd Fellows Home.
The temporary homeless shelter at Worcester Tech is home to 24 people who have tested positive for the virus, but the capacity is only 25. The city is exploring how to expand capacity for those people, City Manager Edward Augustus said.
At the SMOC homeless shelter along Queen Street, about one-third of the clients will be retested after possible false-negative tests. The population there is especially vulnerable, Augustus said, due to underlying health conditions.
Meanwhile, personal protective equipment at the city's community health centers is running low. Hirsh said that the Family Health Center, 26 Queen St., has only about 10 days of gear left.
The situation in Worcester mirrors what state officials are seeing. Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday declared "we're in the surge" as the state's case total hit 29,918 with 1,108 deaths.
