September 18, 2020
Worcester County coronavirus cases rise by 249 in a week, deaths by 15
Photo | Grant Welker
Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester
Coronavirus cases in Worcester County rose by 249 in the past week and the death count by 15, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Those 249 cases through Wednesday are Worcester County's biggest total since early August. Though it's a small fraction of the number of cases seen in the early spring — the highest such total was 1,844 in late April — the slight uptick comes at a time when greater attention is being paid to a potential effect from many colleges being back in session with classes in person and students in dormitories, as well as the reopening of secondary schools.
The 15 new deaths in the past week brings the total in Worcester County to 1,077 since the pandemic began. Cases stand at 13,927.
The City of Worcester hasn't reported its latest case totals this week, but last Friday reported a 43% weekly jump for its highest case total since early June.
The state health department's latest reporting on Wednesday placed Worcester among the most at-risk category, with the state's 11 worst rates for coronavirus cases in the past two weeks. Worcester's rate was 9.5 cases per 100,000 people. The city had 6,041 total cases as of Sept. 11.
Framingham also made the state's highest-risk category, with 11.4 cases per 100,000 people.
Statewide, cases in the past week rose by 2,324 to a total of 123,720. Deaths rose by 99 to 9,036.
Nationally, cases are nearing 6.7 million, and the death count is nearly 198,000, according to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. Worldwide, cases total 30.2 million, with 947,000 deaths.
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