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In March of 2020, officials locked down portions of the state as COVID-19 began to infiltrate communities. Gyms and bars closed. Restaurants limited service to takeout. Schools went remote.

The restrictions, officials said at the time, would only linger for a few weeks with the potential of a return to normal by the summer.

WORCESTER, Mass. - A local health care executive says if you are going to require masks, it really should be a specific kind. 

President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health, Dr. Eric Dickson, said that while early in the pandemic mask mandates were effective, time and the evolution of the COVID-19 virus made certain masks ineffective.

To see just how dramatically COVID case numbers have dropped from the peak of the omicron surge here in Massachusetts – all you had to do was stop by the walk-up COVID test site at Worcester’s Mercantile Center Wednesday, where there were no lines.

It was just a few weeks ago that the lines snaked around the corner and down the block.

WORCESTER, Mass. - Between now and the end of the month, UMass Memorial Health and the Worcester Red Sox are partnering on a social media campaign to ask for support for hospital caregivers.

UMass Memorial and the WooSox are asking people on social media to use the hashtags #ShareASmile and #UMassMemorialStrength along with a photo or story about UMass caregivers.

When one considers improvisational theater or improv, visions of the scuffed floors of a community theater or reruns of the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway? may come to mind. Images of actors shrugging off inhibitions to embody different characters and scenarios instantaneously, or the desperate attempt not to giggle and break character, are plenty.

WORCESTER, Mass. - Through much of December and into January, a surge in COVID-19 cases overwhelmed Massachusetts. Since then, many are questioning the need for a fourth booster shot.

Dr. Robert Klugman, Medical Director of Employee Health Services at UMass Memorial Medical Center, said at this point there is no clear evidence of a fourth shot is beneficial. 

COVID case counts in Massachusetts are trending down, but they are still higher than at any point pre-omicron. That means, there are still a lot of people getting sick with COVID.

Several treatments are available that promise to help keep patients out of the hospital, but they are in short supply. We talked to doctors about the COVID treatment options, who is getting them and when supply will improve:

WORCESTER — Lines for COVID-19 testing at the Mercantile Center have shrunk considerably from the hours-long waits that residents dealt with at the beginning of the month. 

UMass Memorial Health, which operates the testing site, has recorded a week-over-week decrease in people seeking PCR tests at the facility. According to numbers provided by the health system, 1,986 tests were conducted over three days at the Mercantile Center over three testing days, while 3,197 tests were conducted two weeks ago over three testing days. 

As rates of antibiotic resistance grow alarmingly among disease-causing bacteria, dangerous fungi also are evolving stronger defenses, with a lot less fanfare.