New COVID-19 cases relatively steady in Worcester as ICU admissions rise

Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette
·2 min read
A child receives a COVID-19 vaccination shot in Worcester.
A child receives a COVID-19 vaccination shot in Worcester.

WORCESTER — The daily average of COVID-19 cases slightly declined in the city, while patients with coronavirus in intensive care units rose over the last week.

On Friday, the Worcester Department of Public Health reported that the city's seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases stood at 38.6, a decline in 2.4 cases a day from the week before that keeps the rate of new coronavirus cases relatively steady after reaching their highest point in a month July 22.

Earlier in July, the city urged vigilance amid the rise in omicron subvariants nationwide.

So far, new recorded cases have not been near the highs of January.

Still, city health officials encourage residents to wear face coverings, stay up to date on vaccines and booster shots, and get tested when exhibiting symptoms.

Over the past seven days, 270 new cases were reported in Worcester for a total of 60,487 since the start of the pandemic. No additional deaths from COVID-19 were reported this week.

The total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the city stands at 543. The positivity for the past two weeks was recorded at 6.32% Friday.

Inpatient numbers increased over July 22, with 20 people hospitalized in Worcester's health systems, up two from the previous week. In addition, seven are in intensive care unit beds, a jump in five patients

The city reports 64% of residents are fully vaccinated and 75% have received at least one shot. Of the fully vaccinated population, 51% have received at least one booster shot.

The city administered 242 first doses over the past week, 198 doses to fully vaccinate residents and 253 booster doses.

A significant bump in the reading of COVID-19 detected in Greater Worcester wastewater July 17 continues to appear to be an outlier.

Recordings on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday have not approached that high, but Wednesday's recording was higher than the prior two this week.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: COVID-19 daily average declines slightly in Worcester as ICU cases rise