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March 12, 2021

COVID cases plateau in Worcester County, statewide

Photo | Grant Welker Milford Regional Medical Center
By Grant Welker

Just over two months after coronavirus cases peaked in Worcester County and across Massachusetts, progress has all but stalled in achieving further declines in cases.

New data reported Thursday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health showed cases statewide and in the city of Worcester rose slightly in the past week, and a very slight decline in Worcester County.

That plateauing of cases comes as business capacities, including those of restaurants, have been increased and as sports facilities are about two weeks away from being able to open to small crowds, and as known cases of new variants continue to spread in Massachusetts. The variant that began in the United Kingdom has accounted for 106 reported cases in Massachusetts through Tuesday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Worcester County cases rose by 1,115 in the past week to hit 67,082 since the pandemic began. In the city of Worcester, cases rose slightly from the prior week, with the case total growing by 283 to reach 21,075.

Across Massachusetts, cases in the past week roze by 9,623 to hit 563,983 since the pandemic began.

Deaths have made better improvements in the past few weeks.

Worcester County had 22 new reported deaths to hit 2,077 since the pandemic began. Worcester had three new deaths for a new total of 413. Massachusetts had 251 new deaths to reach 16,218.

A note on the coronavirus figures

State, Worcester County and City of Worcester cases and deaths are weekly as of each Thursday. State and Worcester County numbers were previously as of each Wednesday until late October. Worcester County's case total included confirmed and suspected cases through Aug. 12, after which it includes only confirmed cases. Worcester County's death total was revised downward by four on June 30, and is an estimate based on state-reported totals through early August, and estimated numbers from that point forward based on most recent two-week reporting. The City of Worcester retroactively added cases on June 4. State and county data is according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and Worcester data is according to the City of Worcester. Weekly testing periods varied between six- and eight-day ranges for some weeks, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

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