Researchers: Worcester County Coronavirus Cases Could Climb To Over 500,000 If Precautions Aren't Taken

There are now 1,838 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Massachusetts — 129 of those are in Worcester County. Among the cases are a Worcester firefighter and a firefighter recruit.

That Worcester County number could skyrocket to 20,000 cases by Aug. 1, according to researchers at Columbia University. They predict cases in the county could surge as high as 540,000 if strict measures aren't enforced to control the spread of the virus.

Dr. Michael Hirsh, medical director of Worcester's Division of Public Health and a professor of surgery at UMass Medical School, joined WBUR's Morning Edition to discuss.