UMass Memorial creating all-COVID unit, as delta variant drives rise in cases

Photo | Grant Welker UMass Memorial Medical Center's Memorial Campus in Worcester

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UMass Memorial Health told staff on Wednesday it is converting the West 1 unit at the UMass Memorial Medical Center - Memorial Campus in Worcester to an all-COVID unit, after the number of admitted patients quadrupled over the course of a week, according to a staff memo circulated on Wednesday.

"Candidly, we know nobody wants to see an increase in COVID cases, especially as we have been enjoying a return to normalcy. While our vaccination program has put us to be in a much better place compared to past surges, COVID remains a serious threat that requires us to once again rise to the occasion on behalf of our patients and one another," said Chief Medical Officer Andy Karson and Chief Nursing Officer Justin Precourt, in the staff memo.

In the past two weeks, Worcester County has had 267 patients test positive for the coronavirus, including four deaths, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. In the two weeks prior to that, the county had 112 positive tests and two deaths.

The uptick in cases in the week ending on Tuesday is because of the delta variant, which is more contagious than previous COVID strains and spreading rapidly through the region, Karson and Precourt said.

In announcing the all-COVID unit, Karson and Precourt urged staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19, wear appropriate personal protective equipment, and get fitted for respirator masks.

"While vaccinated individuals can acquire COVID, they typically experience only mild to moderate symptoms. To date, no vaccinated patients have died from COVID across our entire health system," they said.