There's A Coronavirus Surge In Worcester, City Leaders Say

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester has added more than 1,400 new COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks, the highest figure since before Thanksgiving, according to state health data.

The figures in Worcester are rising in line with a wider COVID-19 increase in Massachusetts. On Thursday, the state Department of Public Health reported 5,472 new cases statewide and 27 deaths. The number of new cases in the state has been above 5,000 per day for much of the week, a level not seen in almost a year.

This week, Worcester had a positive test rate of 2.7 percent, lower than the statewide rate of 5.1 percent. Also over the past two weeks, Worcester was adding 52.6 new cases per day per 100,000 people — higher than the 38.6 cases per 100,000 measured on Dec. 2.

During a Friday news conference, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty called the local increase a "surge" and said the rise in cases can be partially attributed to the Thanksgiving holiday and the delta variant — the new omicron variant has not been detected in the city yet, Petty said.

Drilling down into the data, City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. said the city has added 917 new cases over the past week along. About one-third of the new cases are in people who have been fully vaccinated. Only about 3 percent were in people with a vaccine booster.

"Boosters make a difference, the vaccine makes a difference," Augustus said. "It is important, and that is one of the prime messages we're trying to get out today: get your booster."

"The vaccine is the ticket out of the pandemic," Worcester Medical Director Michael Hirsh said.

Worcester is still lagging many communities in vaccination rates. Only 61.5 percent of Worcester residents were fully vaccinated as of Thursday. In general, health officials want community-wide vaccination rates above 70 percent. Larger nearby communities like Framingham, Milford and Marlborough are at or above that threshold.

>>>Want to get a coronavirus vaccine in Worcester? The main downtown library is offering walk-in shots on select days through Dec. 29. Find more information here.

Officials on Friday also unveiled a new van that will deliver boosters and vaccines to residents in the city. The van should hit city streets within about two weeks.

Coronavirus hospitalizations are also rising across the state. In central Massachusetts, more than 90 percent of the 1,011 available hospital beds are now occupied, according to state data.

During a press conference Friday, Petty called for an end to the nurses strike at St. Vincent Hospital, which is hindering the response to coronavirus. He called for the hospital to bargain in good faith with the nurses.

The state releases town-by-town testing data every Thursday, including the number of people tested, the testing rate, the positive test rate, cases and infection rates.