January 22, 2021
New COVID cases drop in Worcester County, but U.K. strain found in UMass Memorial exam
Photo | Grant Welker
The DCU Center field hospital in Worcester opened on patients on Dec. 6.
By Grant Welker
Coronavirus cases have taken an encouraging downward dip in the past week, including in Worcester County and the city of Worcester, but that relatively promising sign was tempered by a more contagious variant found this week in a person who was tested at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
The new strain, which originated in England, was first reported in Massachusetts in a Boston woman on Sunday. The person who tested positive at UMass Memorial was identified by city officials Thursday only as a Worcester County resident who had recently traveled overseas.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified the new strain as one of three worldwide believed to spread more easily yet aren't known to be more deadly. Vaccinations that began in December are believed to be effective against the new strains.
The first Worcester County case of the new strain came as cases appear to be dropping from all-time highs reached around the holidays.
Worcester County had 3,532 new cases in the week ending Thursday, a 25% drop from the week prior, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The county now has a total of 55,257 cases since the pandemic began. Worcester has also dropped, with weekly city numbers falling by 27%. The city now has had 18,014 cases since the pandemic started, a weekly increase of 885.
The two Worcester-based health systems, UMass Memorial Health Care and Saint Vincent Hospital, are showing a mixed picture. The number of inpatient cases rose by two in the past week to 246, while the number of intensive-care patients dropped by 14 to 46. A field hospital for less-severe patients at the DCU Center had 51 patients as of Thursday.
Dr. Michael Hirsh, the medical director of the Worcester Division of Public Health, said in a press conference at City Hall late Thursday officials are optimistic that cases have plateaued.
"There really might be light at the end of the tunnel there," he said, urging the public to remain vigilant by continuing to wear masks and limit exposure to others.
A vaccination drive for first responders in Worcester and six adjacent towns has given 1,318 doses, including most of the Worcester police force, according to the city in what officials deemed another positive step.
Statewide, cases are showing a similar decline. Massachusetts had 29,613 cases in the week ending Thursday, a one-week drop of 26% from what had been the state's highest weekly case rate yet. Massachusetts now has 462,910 total confirmed cases.
Deaths, which typically lag new cases by a few weeks, are also on a slight drop. Worcester County had 67 new reported deaths in the past week, down from 76 a week ago, to reach 1,744. The state recorded 466 new deaths in the past week, also a slight decline, to reach a total of 13,622.
This week marked a bleak milestone for the United States, which surpassed 400,000 cases and as of early Friday had 410,000, according to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. More than 24.6 million cases have been reported nationally.
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