The number of Luzerne County residents hospitalized for COVID-19 continued to climb again last week, reaching an average daily count of 114.7, the state’s latest early warning dashboard update shows.
That’s an increase of 14.4 from the 100.3 average daily residents recorded the previous week ending Dec. 2.
This latest number means the county average is now only 15.9 below the 130.6 reported in mid-January this year. For context, the county’s average was 3.3 the week ending July 22.
Of those hospitalized, an average daily 8 were on ventilators last week, or 1.3 less than the prior week’s 9.3, according to the state health department report posted at www.health.pa.gov.
Case counts rose countywide, it said.
There were 1,268 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the county last week, which is an increase of 74 compared to the previous week’s 1,194 new cases.
That elevated the county’s incidence rate, or number of cases per 100,000 residents, from 376.2 two weeks ago to 399.5 last week, it said.
The county’s positivity rate, or the percentage of diagnostic tests yielding positive results, is now 16.3%, a decrease from the 18.6% logged two weeks ago.
In the remaining dashboard benchmark, the percentage of hospital visits tied to coronavirus-like illnesses in the county decreased from 1.5% two weeks ago to 1.1% last week.
The county’s incidence and positivity rates both remain higher than the statewide numbers.
State numbers
Figures rose in four of the six benchmark categories at the statewide level last week.
Statewide, there were 41,144 new cases last week, or 3,914 more than the prior week’s 37,230, the dashboard said.
That boosted the incidence rate from 290.8 to 321.4.
The state’s positivity rate dropped from 15.2% two weeks ago to 14.4% last week.
COVID-19 hospitalizations jumped from an average daily 3,787.6 two weeks ago to 4,251 last week, or an increase of 463.4.
The average daily number of hospitalized patients on ventilators rose from 481.3 to 522.6 over the two-week period, or an increase of 41.3, the dashboard said.
ER visits remained at 1.7%.
Deaths
The county’s most recent coronavirus death victims included a 44-year-old man and four residents in their 50s.
This comes from a coroner’s office report covering 29 deaths that occurred between Nov. 23 and Dec. 7.
The reports don’t include names or details about any underlying health conditions.
An age breakdown of the remaining deaths in these reports: eight in their 60s, eight in their 70s, seven in their 80s and one in their 90s.
Seventeen of the victims were men, and 12 were women.
Only five were listed as residents of nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
Vaccines
A total 182,935 county residents are fully vaccinated, according to the latest update of the state’s vaccine dashboard at health.pa.gov.
That means approximately 60.8% of eligible county residents are now fully covered, which is an increase from the prior week’s 60.1%.
Of those already fully vaccinated in the county, 57,335 have obtained an additional booster shot since Aug. 13.
Another 21,432 county residents are partially vaccinated because they did not yet receive both required doses, the dashboard said.