Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | November 23, 2020 | wbjournal.com H E A L T H C A R E FOCUS W hen the coronavirus pandemic peaked in Central Massa- chusetts in the early spring, hundreds of virus patients were in area hospitals, and dozens were in intensive care – so many that some hospitals had to repurpose ICU wings to make sure they had enough space. In a two-month span, nearly 800 Worcester County residents died of the virus. Now with cases again sharply rising since around mid-October, hospital offi- cials are planning for a second wave this winter while hoping that low hospital- ization and death rates – at least so far – will continue, as a consequence of both Central Mass. hospitals are gearing up for the second coronavirus surge, hoping lessons learned from spring make handling the pandemic easier BY GRANT WELKER Worcester Business Journal News Editor a better understanding of the pandemic and a much younger population that's been getting sick. "We're watching the numbers very carefully and watching what's going on in the rest of the country," said Dr. Mi- chael Gustafson, the president of UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. UMass Memorial is working with state officials to open a field hospital at Worcester's DCU Center in early De- cember with a plan for 240 beds, adding extra capacity for area hospitals as was done during the spring surge. Better knowledge, preparation Hospital officials said they're opti- mistic this winter won't be as bad as the initial wave in Massachusetts. One important change is largely who is getting sick today, said Dr. Vinod Mohan, the infectious disease specialist at Heywood Hospital in Gardner. It's far more likely to be younger people, who generally have lower risks of getting very sick or dying from the virus. Today, 20-somethings in Massachu- setts are testing positive at rates more than seven times higher than those who are 80 or older, according to the Massa- chusetts Department of Public Health. at's a stark departure from the It's becoming really scary again Weekly Worcester County coronavirus cases spring. On May 1, for example, resi- dents 80 or older were the second most common age group to test positive, slightly behind those in their 50s. Younger residents weren't nearly as likely to catch it, and colleges having sent students home early for the spring semester – unlike many colleges today holding at least some in-person classes – kept transmission rates for younger people low. ose 80 or older were more than twice as likely as any other group to be hospitalized in the spring, and almost five times as likely to die as any other group. Even today, the average age of a hospitalized patient is 67, and the typi- cal death is in someone age 80, accord- ing to state data. Hospital officials are encouraged by a better knowledge of how the virus works and how patients can be treated. Health providers can now give rem- desivir, an antiviral medication, or con- valescent plasma, which comes from the blood of recovered patients and helps those fighting the virus. Researchers have been eager to share any discoveries they've made, said Dr. George Abraham, the chief of medicine at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester. "Usually, the scientific community can be possessive of its information and not be as willing to share," he said. e Massachusetts Health and Hospi- tal Association, a membership group of the state's acute-care hospitals, has been helping to coordinate a response with daily calls among hospital CEOs. "ey're certainly ready," Steve Walsh, the association's president and CEO, said of hospital leaders. "It's a really tal- ented group, a really passionate group. ey want to put their patients first and their community first." Coordinating plans Cases in Worcester County peaked in late April, with a one-week stretch The convention center space at Worcestr's DCU Center was converted into a field hospital in the spring and will be again starting in December as cases rise. PHOTO | GRANT WELKER

• Cover