New coronavirus cases dipped this week in Worcester County, but the relative good news was tempered by the highest weekly death count since late spring.
In both Worcester County and across Massachusetts, cases slowed slightly in the week ending Thursday, according to new Massachusetts Department of Public Health data. Cases nonetheless remain at far higher levels than before Thanksgiving or during the initial spring surge.
Worcester County cases rose by 3,942 in the past week to hit 37,915. Statewide, cases rose by 30,336 to hit 322,652.
Deaths, which typically lag cases by a few weeks, continue rising. In Worcester County, deaths have risen in the past week by 64, the highest since late May and early June, to hit 1,448. Across Massachusetts, confirmed deaths have risen by 401 to hit 11,706.
Worcester city officials reported earlier Thursday that cases in the city have also dipped slightly in the past week, with 977 new cases bringing the city’s total to 13,762.
The state’s two-week new-case rate has similarly begun moving downward slightly, from 65.1 per 100,000 to 63.2.
Hospitalizations continue rising, hitting 2,000 statewide on Tuesday for the first time since May. Still, hospitalizations remain far below spring peaks and Central Massachusetts intensive care unit beds stand at 81%, slightly below the state average of 85%. That capacity includes the DCU Center field hospital.
