Health & Fitness
Worcester Sees Highest Weekly Coronavirus Increase Since July
For the second week in a row, coronavirus cases rose in Worcester, according to health officials.
WORCESTER, MA — Worcester on Thursday counted the highest number of new coronavirus cases in a one-week period since July as cases trend up in the city.
The increase of 98 cases — the second week in a row when cases have increased — comes ahead of the Labor Day weekend, and city officials warned residents to be careful at gatherings.
"With the approach of the Labor Day holiday weekend, the city reminds all residents, as they hold cookouts, welcome guests, visit relatives or travel elsewhere, to be mindful of the spread of COVID-19 and follow all guidelines and protocols, including the governor’s regulations for indoor and outdoor gatherings," a statement said.
The city on Thursday also released data about recent free testing events held around the city. Across four events, 1,685 people were tested, and about 43 tested positive. Most of the events had a positive test rate below 2 percent. But one held on Aug. 31 at Main South Community Development returned a 4.44 percent positive rate — the statewide rate has been at about 1.7 percent in recent days, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.
Worcester has been reporting cases on a weekly basis for several months. Here's a breakdown of new cases dating back to July 2:
- Sept. 3 — 98 increase
- Aug. 27 — 87 increase
- Aug. 19 — 69 decrease
- Aug. 13 — 70 decrease
- Aug. 5 — 97 increase
- July 30 — 88 increase
- July 23 — 63 increase
- July 16 — 43 decrease
- July 9 — 61 decrease
- July 2 — 75 increase
Worcester has now seen close to 6,000 cases over the course of the pandemic. As of Wednesday, Worcester was rated as a "moderate risk" community by the state. The average daily case rate was about 5.8 per 100,000 residents, according to DPH.
