Worcester County has first coronavirus death
Photo | Edd Cote
A coronavirus test kit package
The first coronavirus death in Worcester County was reported Monday, a woman who was in her 70s, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
The woman was the ninth in Massachusetts to die from the virus and one of four new deaths announced Monday, when the Department of Public Health also gave the latest total coronavirus cases: 777 across the state and 42 in Worcester County.
All four of the newly announced deaths were hospitalized and had underlying health conditions. The nine people who died ranged in age from 50s to 90s. The Worcester County fatality joins others in Berkshire, Essex, Middlesex, Hampden and Norfolk counties.
The state's total number of cases was an increase from 646 the day prior, and the Worcester County total was up by five. As of Sunday, 13 cases have been in the city of Worcester.
Numbers continue to rise sharply as testing becomes more widespread. Between Sunday and Monday alone, the state announced nearly 3,000 additional tests, or 8,922 in all. Testing is being conducted by the State Public Health Laboratory, Quest Diagnostics, and LabCorp, as well as 10 others, the Department of Health said.
Cases have predominantly hit older residents. Nearly half the cases, 46%, have been 50 or older, and 14% have been age 70 or older. In at least 79 cases, a patient has had to be hospitalized.
Nationwide cases have totaled nearly 42,000, with 573 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
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