For Immediate Release: 9/17/2021 12:35 pm
The City of Worcester held a Press Briefing Friday, Sept. 17 at City Hall and released the following information:
• There are 26,368 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in the City of Worcester.
• That is an increase of 510 cases from last week.
• There have now been week-over-week increases in the number of COVID-19 cases for 10 consecutive weeks
• The seven-day average is 78 new cases a day, more than 4 times the 7-day average on Aug. 1 of 18 new cases a day.
• Positive case counts in surrounding towns: Shrewsbury: 3,286 (+63 from last week); Grafton: 1,313 (+23 from last week).
• To date, there have been 441 deaths of Worcester residents from COVID-19 (an increase of 2 from the last week.)
• All combined medical facilities of Saint Vincent Hospital and UMass Memorial Health Care had 104 total COVID-positive in-patients (+26 from last week) and 30 total COVID-positive ICU patients (+3 from last week). To date, their facilities have had a total of 777 COVID-related deaths (+5 from last week).
• City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. announced an order effective Nov. 1 requiring all City of Worcester employees to be fully vaccinated, or to submit proof of a negative test result every week. That order is in line with President Biden's recent order requiring all employers of more than 100 employees to mandate COVID-19 vaccines
• In addition, the City Manager issued a revised Order, effective Monday, Sept. 20, requiring all individuals ages 5 and up to wear a mask or face covering when visiting or conducting business in any City building or attending a City-organized event indoors. The revised order raises the age from 2 to 5. Where feasible, the City will provide for alternative delivery of services and the conduct of official business
• Also today, Medical Director Dr. Michael P. Hirsh issued two Emergency Orders. One order requires smployers to report positive COVID-19 cases in their workplace to the Board of Health. The second order, effective Monday, Sept. 20, requires face coverings to be worn in all indoor private common spaces, including supermarkets, restaurants and other businesses. This order goes into effect Monday, Sept. 20
• Dr. Hirsh’s orders will go before the Board of Health on Sept. 27 for ratification, and the public will have the opportunity to weigh in at that time
• Vaccination rates continue to climb, but are not where the City would like to see them, particularly among younger populations – and 37 percent of all cases are among ages 29 and younger
• The highest percentage of cases, 20 percent, has occurred among the 20-29 age group
• As of this week, 52 percent of the total population in Worcester is fully vaccinated, while 60 percent have receive at least one dose (If asked: this is reflective of our new Census count of 206,518)
• Of the vaccine-eligible population (ages 12-up), 66 percent have been fully vaccinated, and roughly 75 percent have received at least one dose
• A total of 19,494 doses have been administered through the City’s Mobile Vaccination Clinics to 12,253 individuals. Of those vaccinations, 9,128 first doses, 7,219 second doses, 22 third doses and 3,125 single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been administered
• A total of 236 doses were administered this week; 159 of those were at Worcester Public Schools
• Upcoming Mobile Vaccinaton Clinics inclue:
