City of Worcester, MA

COVID-19 Update for April 19; 1,171 Positive Cases

For Immediate Release: 4/19/2020 5:36 pm

• There are 1,171 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in the City of Worcester (an increase of 36 positive cases from Saturday, April 18). 
  
  
• Since April 1, Worcester has seen an increase of 1,056 new cases (average of 58 new cases per day over the last 18 days).
  
  
• The only change in town numbers today is Holden: 30 (+1). The rest are no change from Saturday: Shrewsbury: 105, Grafton: 40 , Leicester: 19.
  
  
• The Worcester Police Department has had 5 positive cases to date (3 of the positive members are in isolation). There are 6 officers in self-quarantine due to exposure.
  
  
• The Worcester Fire Department has had 6 positive cases to date. Two members are in self-quarantine.
  
  
• All combined medical facilities of Saint Vincent Hospital and UMass Memorial Health Care had 208 total COVID-positive in-patients today, which includes 82 total COVID-positive ICU patients. To date, their facilities have had 58 total COVID-related deaths. A total of 125 of their employees have tested positive for the virus.
  
  
• Shelter update: Going forward, there will be six sites in the city for homeless shelters: St. John’s, Ascension, North High School, SMOC Queen Street, SMOC MLK and the DCU Center (positive homeless cases).
  
  
• Homeless positive as of Sunday, April 19: 46 (will all be at the DCU Center).
  
  
• SMOC shelter: As of April 18, there were 40-45 clients at the SMOC shelter onn Queen Street. All of these clients will be re-tested.
  
  
• SMOC MLK site (Chandler Street) will open on Monday, April 20. The shelter  capacity there is 40 and will be for those that test negative among that group of 40-45.
  
  
• As positive homeless patients regain health at the DCU Center, they will transition to the SMOC MLK site.
  
  
• The homeless shelter at Worcester Technical High School will close on Sunday, April 19 before the end of the day. Nine clients will be discharged to SMOC; seven positive clients will be transferred to the DCU Center. A deep cleaning will be done and the facility will be turned back over to the Worcester Public Schools.
  
  
• The field hospital site at the DCU Center had 13 patients (non-homeless) as of Sunday, April 19. 
  
  
• Volunteers are desperately needed at the DCU Center homeless shelter. Anyone wishing to be a medical volunteer or volunteer at emergency shelters during this public health crisis may email: volunteer@worcesterma.gov.
  
  
• Today the City Manager honored another unsung hero within the City workforce, Domenica Perrone, project manager and analyst for Dr. Mattie Castiel in the Department of Health & Human Services. Domenica has only been with the City for three months but has already had the opportunity to work on many HHS projects such as flu clinics, Narcan distribution and housing and recovery coach outreach data analysis. During the COVID-19 crisis, she’s been a key staff member helping to coordinate our emergency homeless shelters. She’s worked on coordinating supplies, shelter census counts and staff support. Domenica is a dual degree graduate student at Clark University where she will be finishing two master’s degrees in Business Administration and Community Development and Planning at the end of the month. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Emerson College in 2014.