WORCESTER (CBS) – The president of UMass Memorial Health Care says this month is going to be “rough” for hospitals in the state.

Dr. Eric Dickson told WBZ-TV’s Christina Hager Monday that the “crunch time” for this latest surge of COVID-19 will be in the next two weeks. He said the positivity rates are so high because the Omicron variant is a “hyper-infectious virus.”

Bay Staters are having their patience tested to kick off the year as thousands of people on Monday waited in massive lines — some shivering in the bitter cold for hours — to get tested for COVID amid the omicron surge.

As sites get overwhelmed following the holidays, local officials are pleading with Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration to add more locations to address the coronavirus testing “log jam.”

WORCESTER — When Ashley Rivera chooses names for her children, she tries to pick something unique.

"I pick names that will make them stand out in the world," she said.

WORCESTER — The president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health in Worcester says hospitals in central Massachusetts and across the state are dealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases that is only expected to get worse in the weeks ahead.

Dr. Eric Dickson told Boston 25 Morning News on Wednesday that the UMass Memorial trauma center “is running at about 110 percent of its bed capacity. That means of the 400 beds that exist for med/surgical purposes, we have 440 patients that need them, so we have 40 patients waiting in the emergency department for beds.”

As a result of a surge in new COVID-19 cases in Worcester, UMass Memorial Health is increasing the number of days it will provide free testing at the Mercantile Center in Worcester.

On Wednesday city officials announced that UMass will begin offering free COVID testing four days next week.

"I don't know how anyone could believe that allowing the most expensive, largest health care system in the state to expand at the expense of smaller, less expensive health care systems could reduce the cost of health care in the state," said Dr. Eric Dickson, CEO of UMass Memorial Health. "It just doesn't pass the sniff test."

Gov. Charlie Baker announced Tuesday he is activating up to 500 members of the National Guard to assist hospitals with the COVID-19 surge and updating the state's mask advisory.

The state Department of Public Health released an updated mask advisory Tuesday urging all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask or face covering in indoor public spaces.

Amid surging COVID-19 infections, overflowing hospitals, and exhausted healthcare workers, Massachusetts hospital leaders are hanging on a glimmer of hope: some treatments, vaccines, and hard-won knowledge from the earlier outbreaks have meant fewer severely ill COVID patients.

And those who do need intensive care generally are recovering more quickly, doctors say.

The COVID pandemic took a drastic toll on an already struggling and underfunded behavioral healthcare system. In the wake of lockdowns, a greater need for psychiatric help is often met with endless waiting lists and bed shortages.