Worcester County’s death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has reached a morbid milestone: 1,000 deaths.
The total was reported Saturday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, about four and a half months after the first death was reported, on March 23.
The most deaths took place in May, with 502. April had 257, June had 153, July had 70 and March had eight. August has so far has had 10, giving Worcester County an even 1,000.
In all, Massachusetts has recorded 8,500 deaths since the pandemic began.
Worcester County ranks fourth highest among Massachusetts counties in coronavirus deaths. Middlesex County has the most with 2,002, followed by Essex County with 1,192 and Suffolk County with 1,073.
In deaths per capita, Worcester County ranks seventh statewide.
The Worcester metro area, which includes Worcester County and Connecticut’s Windham County, has among the nation’s worst coronavirus death rates, according to a tally by The New York Times. The metro area is 18th worst, with 1.07 deaths per 1,000.
The great bulk of the metro area’s cases are in Worcester County, however, where the rate is 1.20 per 1,000.
Worcester County’s case total is 13,602 through Saturday, the fourth most in Massachusetts.
