WORCESTER – Latinos account for 30% of COVID-19 cases Worcester hospitals have seen despite only making up 11% of the population in Worcester County, the city’s medical director said Friday.

“This is a very important piece of things (to understand),” Dr. Michael Hirsh said at the city’s daily COVID-19 briefing. He said the disparity also exists for African Americans, who make up about 5% of the county population but have made up 10% of COVID-19 patients.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. Thursday announced that Worcester and UMass Memorial Health Care signed a memorandum of understanding to share and analyze demographic data surrounding the epidemic.

Hirsh said Friday that the hospital is also looking to analyze death certificates of people dying at home to determine whether those cases could be COVID-19 related.

The city visited with Worcester EMS employees earlier Friday, he said, where staff said they are finding “a lot of people” dying at home, and fear they may have waited too long to report out either symptoms of the virus or symptoms of other underlying conditions.

Hirsh stressed that people with health problems should not ignore warning signs, because those problems themselves could prove fatal or could also be signs that a person has been infected with COVID-19.

He urged people to make sure their loved ones aren’t shrugging off medical problems for fear of going to the hospital, stressing that Worcester has enough beds available for everyone.

Ninety-three patients were in the intensive care unit in Worcester hospitals as of Friday, up 5 from Thursday.

There were 76 new positive cases Friday in Worcester, bringing its total to 1,618. Three people died since Thursday, bringing the total number of deaths here to 73.

Between the city’s hospitals, 147 medical staff have tested positive, an increase of 4 from Thursday.

Shrewsbury has 155 cases, an increase of 5, Holden has 38 cases, an increase of 1, Grafton has 45 cases, an increase of 1, Leicester has 65 cases, an increase of 4 and Millbury has 138 cases, an increase of 2.

Augustus said there have been no more cases in first responders since Thursday.

Mayor Joseph M. Petty thanked residents for continuing to stay in their homes and use social distancing.

“It appears to be working,” he said.

Hirsh asked residents to be mindful of their health during the crisis. With many routine appointments canceled, he said, people should look into telehealth or video conferences.

Hirsh said as the crisis continues, people could wait too long to find out about health problems. He said many people have found remote appointments to be helpful, and said he believes they are “here to stay.”

In other news, Augustus warned that Worcester retirees have been getting scam offers for free benefits. He urged them to not give out any of their personal information over the phone.

Contact Brad Petrishen at brad.petrishen@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BPetrishenTG.