WORCESTER – Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus confirmed at a briefing early Thursday afternoon that a fifth person has tested positive for Coronavirus in Worcester.
The total number of positive cases in Worcester County is now eleven.
Augustus said that while five are residents of Worcester, others worked in the city but do not reside within it .
Director of the Worcester Public Health Department, Dr. Michael Hirsh, added that between St. Vincent Hospital and UMASS Memorial Hospital there are some 200 patients currently being evaluated for COVID-19.
The delay in diagnosis is due to delays in test results being returned.
According to Hirsh, the city is diligently working to find private laboratories with the ability to expedite current testing delays from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health laboratory.
Hirsh also reported that the nationwide shortage on protective equipment for healthcare workers does impact Worcester. He expressed optimism those shortages would start to be alleviated soon after President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act yesterday .
The Defense Production Act is a law passed during the Korean War, in 1950, that allows the president expanded powers to direct industry to produce critical equipment in times of national emergency.
Hirsh also expressed optimism that the FDA has fast tracked three different drugs to treat symptoms of COVID-19.
He cautioned, however, that none of those drugs can protect individuals from contracting the virus. That would require a vaccine.
One vaccine has just entered trials and is more than a year from coming to market.
