Health Care

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 roughly a week and a half, the United States has reached 1 million COVID-19 vaccines and Massachusetts more than 35,000.

Coronavirus cases in the city of Worcester have risen by nearly another 1,000 in the past six days, indicating a sustained high level of spread in the weeks after Thanksgiving.

Options exist for educating students with disabilities, and some day programs for adults pick up where schools leave off. But Dr. Carolyn Langer, who has a son in his 20s with autism, has long known that there's potential for more programs to help provide developmental, social and other services.

Compromise health care legislation announced Tuesday would require insurers to permanently reimburse for behavioral telehealth at the rates they'd pay for the same care in-person, one of a series of measures aimed at building on the lessons of the COVID-19 crisis.

The Town of Medway has launched a new program aimed at cutting down on youth substance abuse, with a student survey showing substance use roughly constant for the past decade.

The federal Department of Justice has sued Walmart for what it says is wrongly dispensing controlled substances during the worst of the prescription opioid crisis. The chain's role in Central Massachusetts was far more limited than competitors.

Patients at long-term care facilities in Massachusetts are set to be vaccinated for COVID-19 starting Monday, another milestone in what is expected to be a widespread rollout of vaccinations in the coming months to eventually end the pandemic.

Gov. Charlie Baker is lowering capacity limits for most businesses and places of worship to a maximum of 25 percent, limiting outdoor events to 25 people and limiting indoor gatherings, including events, to 10 people for at least two weeks beginning Saturday.

Much like the rest of the country and the world, 2020 was a tough year in Central Massachusetts business. Looking at WBJ's Economic Forecast special edition, WBJ Podcast hosts Brad Kane and Hank Stolz look at what is to come for the region's economy in the coming year, including a look at some specific, bold predictions for news events in 2021.