Worcester still in midst of omicron wave, but 'cautious optimism' emerging from officials

WORCESTER — While high numbers of cases and hospitalizations are still being reported, city officials said Friday that there could be sign of optimism that residents will be in better shape this spring.

With 4,786 new cases since last Friday's weekly COVID-19 press conference at City Hall, the city endured another record week of transmission during the omicron surge.

Worcester has recorded 45,065 cases since the start of the pandemic. The city also added four additional deaths from COVID since last week, for a total of 482.

UMass Memorial Health and St. Vincent Hospital have a combined count of 349 people hospitalized with COVID-19, a rise of 91 from last week, and 60 in the ICU, up by three from last week.

Between the two health systems, 28 people have died due to COVID-19 since last week.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said that while this week's seven-day average of cases was 682 a day, the city reported 413 Friday, the first time new cases have been under 500 in weeks.

"We're cautiously optimistic that that my suggest that we're beginning to plateau and hopefully go into a period of decline," Augustus said.

Most people in ICU unvaccinated

Mayor Joseph M. Petty said 70% of UMass Memorial Health patients with COVID-19 in the ICU are unvaccinated. The mayor read White House statistics that the unvaccinated are seven times more likely to go to the hospital due to COVID-19 and 20 times more likely to die of a COVID-19 case.

Along with the smaller increase in Worcester cases Friday, Petty pointed to a study of Boston's wastewater by the Public School of Public Health that detected a decline in the presence of COVID-19 as signs that Massachusetts may have hit its peak.

While the highest point of the surge in cases could have been passed, Petty said that hospitalizations and deaths are lagging indicators that could still scale up after cases have peaked.

Petty and Augustus continued to emphasize that the case count does not include at-home tests and is likely an undercount

At Worcester Public Schools, 143 staff and 832 students are out with COVID-19. Petty said Superintendent Maureen Binienda told him Friday that the COVID numbers are down from previous days.

Augustus said that the city has gone through the 67,000 rapid test kits that it acquired with the help of the state Department of Health. The city manager said he authorized the purchase of 30,000 more test kits with two tests.

Augustus said residents do not need to take at-home tests everyday and said the recommendations are to take a test when experiencing symptoms or after being exposed to someone who tested positive.

The city remains at 59% of residents being fully vaccinated and 69% having at least one dose with just 1,375 residents becoming fully vaccinated since last week and 1,176 getting their first dose. Of the fully vaccinated population, 36% have received boosters.

City Medical Director Dr. Michael Hirsh said that omicron has clearly become the dominant variant in Massachusetts.

While the variant is pushing state hospital systems to its limit, Hirsh said he is also optimistic that the situation will improve so that Worcester will have a better spring.

"I think our spring is going to be a really good time," he said.

Booster shots critical

However, Hirsh said he expects masks to remain a presence until the population has received their booster shots.

While omicron has led to a shift where half of admitted hospital patients have been vaccinated, Hirsh said only 10% of patients have received their booster.

Hirsh dismissed the distinction some officials have drawn of patients being admitted "with COVID" or "for COVID," saying that the strain continues to exist.

For city employees, 84.45% are fully vaccinated as are 72% of schools staff.

At least 129 city employees are currently positive for COVID-19, with 36 having pending tests. Seventy-one city employees are not on the job because of COVID-19.

The Worcester Fire Department, which has been particularly hard-hit with COVID-19, has 20 members who are currently positive for COVID-19, with eight pending results, and 20 quarantining.

In order to enforce the city's mask mandate, the city has issued 103 fines to businesses or organizations, 128 verbal warnings, and 433 have received educational material.

In an effort to reach the youth populations — the least vaccinated age groups in Worcester— Augustus said that the city is organizing an advisory group on increasing vaccination rates among people under 18.

City administration members along with officials from Worcester Public Schools, charter schools and youth sports and service organizations will serve on the group.

Augustus said neighboring Shrewsbury saw 629 new cases since last week, and Grafton added 274 new cases.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'Cautious optimism' emerging from Worcester officials despite omicron surge, another record week of cases