Two people in their 30s and four in their 50s died of COVID-19 in Luzerne County since July 1, according to a coroner’s report released Wednesday.
In total, 23 deaths were tracked by the county coroner’s office through Sept. 12, it said.
A breakdown of the remaining victims’ ages: six in their 60s, four in their 70s and seven in their 80s.
Only two were identified as residents of nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
The county coroner’s office does not get involved in determining which victims were vaccinated, but the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Tuesday that 97% of COVID-19 deaths involve those not fully vaccinated with all required doses.
While concerns about coronavirus deaths remain, county Coroner Francis Hacken said the volume is nowhere near where it was through 2020 and the first half of this year, primarily because more are now vaccinated.
As of Wednesday, 165,801 county residents were fully vaccinated, or 58.45% of the population estimated to be eligible, according to the state health department. Coronavirus vaccines are only available to those over age 11 at this time.
Of the 23 county deaths tracked since July 1, nine were male and 14 were female.
Since the start of the pandemic, the youngest victims in the county were a 7-year-old boy from Nanticoke in May and an 18-year-old woman from Hazleton in July 2020.
The coroner’s reports don’t include names or details about any underlying health conditions.
County Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo offered condolences to the family and friends of the latest victims on Wednesday.
“One life lost is one too many. Each individual is someone our community lost who can’t be replaced,” Crocamo said.
Although she did not bring it up in her comments on the deaths, Crocamo has repeatedly and strongly urged residents to consider vaccination.