WORCESTER - Seeking a more real-time picture of the COVID-19 situation, the city reached out to the UMass Memorial and St. Vincent Hospital health care systems to get a sense of what’s currently going on in the fight against the pandemic.
City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said between UMass Memorial, including its regional campuses, and St. Vincent’s, they are currently taking care of 109 COVID-19 cases, including 29 people in intensive care units. The health care systems have had 14 COVID-19-related deaths, and 64 total hospital employees have tested positive for the virus.
Officially, the city’s count increased Saturday by 43 to a total of 310.
Dr. Michael P. Hirsh, the city’s medical director, said the updated health care system numbers appeared manageable. He estimated the ICU beds are at about 45% to 50% capacity. Where bottlenecks are occurring, he said, are with patients who are taking a while to recover - coming off a ventilator, for example.
Hirsh said that’s why it’s so important that the city is hosting the state’s first field hospital at the DCU Center and is converting the Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center to a COVID-19 recovery facility. He said the hospitals are already taking steps to expand that ICU capacity, and are even converting anesthesia equipment to ventilators in anticipation of a predicted spike in cases by the end of next week.
According to the state Department of Public Health, Worcester County has seen a total of 915 positive cases. Twenty-four new deaths were announced across the state, for a total of 216. The newly reported deaths included three people from Worcester County - a man and a woman in their 90s, and a man in his 80s
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