City of Worcester, MA

COVID-19 Update for April 20; 1,199 Positive Cases

For Immediate Release: 4/20/2020 5:52 pm

• There are 1,199 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in the City of Worcester (an increase of 28 positive cases from Sunday, April 19). 
  
  
• Since April 1, Worcester has seen an increase of 1,084 new cases (average of 57 new cases per day over the last 19 days).
  
  
• The only changes in positive case numbers for surrounding towns today are Holden: 31 (+1) and Grafton: 41 (+1). The rest remain the same: Shrewsbury: 105, Leicester: 19
  
  
• The Worcester Police Department has had 5 positive cases to date (3 of the positive members are quarantined and 2 have returned to work). There are 2 officers in self-quarantine due to exposure.
  
  
• The Worcester Fire Department has had 6 positive cases to date. All six positive members have returned to work. Two members are in self-quarantine due to exposure.
  
  
• All combined medical facilities of Saint Vincent Hospital and UMass Memorial Health Care had 226 total COVID-positive in-patients today, which includes 96 total COVID-positive ICU patients. To date, their facilities have had 60 total COVID-related deaths. A total of 126 of their employees have tested positive for the virus.
  
  
• The homeless shelter at the DCU Center has 46 positive homeless clients as of today. The field hospital site at the DCU Center had 13 patients (non-homeless) as of today.
  
  
• The homeless shelter at Worcester Technical High School has been closed and clients have been moved to the DCU Center. A deep cleaning of the facility is planned for Wednesday.
  
  
• Beaumont Rehabilitation census: 61 positive cases are currently housed at the Beaumont facility (4 admissions today; 2 discharges today).
  
  
• The Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990, is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster, including disease outbreaks like COVID-19. This a toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories.
  
  
• To date, Worcester Together has raised more than $4.4 million and has distributed 51 grants totaling more than $650,000. This includes more than $17,000 raised in just one week by the staff and administration of the Worcester Public Schools. Worcester Together is pleased to announce a $100,000 donation by Bank of America today. To donate, visit: worcesterma.gov/coronavirus or text worcestercovid19 to 243725.
  
  
• The City of Worcester COVID-19 information line can be reached at 508-799-1019. There is an option for individuals to speak live with a nurse, Monday through Friday 9 am to 4 pm. More than 3,500 calls have been received; more than 780 calls have been connected to a live nurse.
  

• Today the City Manager honored another unsung hero within the City workforce, Pam Callahan, Coordinator of Training, Development and Wellness in the Human Resources Department. Pam has been with the City for more than 14 years. In her normal, everyday role, she manages all the professional development, wellness and training for our City employees. In her role during the pandemic, she has worked tirelessly on logistics at our Senior Center, managing donations. She has also recently assisted with volunteer recruitment and management of the volunteer process. Just this past weekend, Pam was called with an emergency volunteer issue and she worked around the clock to resolve the problem. Pam is most often described as dedicated and reliable and is always willing to assist. She not only gets the job done, she goes above and beyond.