Luzerne County’s coronavirus hospitalizations rose again last week, although fewer patients were on ventilators, the state’s latest early warning dashboard update shows.
An average daily 97.1 county residents were hospitalized for COVID-19 the week ending Dec. 2, which is an increase of 7.8 from the prior week’s average daily 89.3, said the state health department report posted at www.health.pa.gov.
For context, the county’s average daily hospitalizations were 3.3 in the week ending July 22 and 130.6 in mid-January of this year.
Of those hospitalized, an average daily 9.1 were on ventilators last week, or 3.6 less than the prior week’s 12.7.
Case counts rose countywide, it said.
There were 1,135 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the county last week, which is an increase of 33 compared to the previous week’s 1,102 new cases.
That boosted the county’s incidence rate, or number of cases per 100,000 residents, from 347.2 two weeks ago to 357.6 last week, it said.
The county’s positivity rate, or the percentage of diagnostic tests yielding positive results, is now 18.4% compared to 16.1% two weeks ago.
In the remaining dashboard benchmark, the percentage of hospital visits tied to coronavirus-like illnesses in the county decreased from 1.9% two weeks ago to 1.3% last week.
The county’s incidence and positivity rates both remain higher than the statewide percentages.
State numbers
Figures rose in four of the six benchmark categories at the statewide level last week, although overall case counts decreased week over week.
Statewide, there were 34,006 new cases last week, or 675 less than the prior week’s 34,681.
That reduced the incidence rate from 270.9 to 265.6.
The state’s positivity rate rose from 12.2% two weeks ago to 14.7% last week.
COVID-19 hospitalizations jumped from an average daily 3,223.4 two weeks ago to 3,713.3 last week, or an increase of 489.9.
The average daily number of hospitalized patients on ventilators rose from 411.9 to 477.7 over the two-week period, or an increase of 65.8, the dashboard said.
ER visits increased from 1.6% to 1.7%.
Deaths
The county’s most recent coronavirus death victims include four residents in their 40s and six in their 50s.
This information comes from a review of the latest county coroner’s office reports covering 50 deaths that occurred between Oct. 6 and Nov. 23.
The reports don’t include names or details about any underlying health conditions.
An age breakdown of the remaining 40 deaths in these reports: nine in their 60s, twenty in their 70s, seven in their 80s and four in their 90s.
Twenty of the victims were women, and 30 were men.
County Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo said the losses leave a void and offered condolences to friends and family of the victims.
”One death is one death too many,” she said.
Vaccines
A total 180,839 county residents are fully vaccinated, according to the latest update of the state’s vaccine dashboard at health.pa.gov.
That means approximately 60.1% of eligible county residents are now fully covered, the state said.
Of those already fully vaccinated in the county, 51,100 have obtained an additional booster shot since Aug. 13.
Another 20,806 county residents are partially vaccinated because they did not yet receive both required doses, the dashboard said.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
