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Luzerne County coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rose last week, continuing an upward climb that emerged two weeks ago, the state&rsquo;s new early warning dashboard report shows.
				The county had 577 new confirmed cases the week ending Thursday, or March 25 &mdash; an increase of 206 from the previous week&rsquo;s 371 new cases, it said.
				That boosted the county&rsquo;s incidence rate, or number of cases per 100,000 residents, from 116.9 to 181.8 over the two-week period.
				An average daily 44.9 county residents were hospitalized for COVID-19 last week, or 8.3 more than the previous week&rsquo;s average daily 36.6 residents.
				Also rising: the county&rsquo;s positivity rate, or the percentage of diagnostic tests yielding positive results. It is now 9.7%, compared to 7.4% two weeks ago.
				Concerned about another potential spike, county Manager C. David Pedri urged residents to stick to wearing masks, sanitizing and following other safety protocols.
				&ldquo;We are close to the end of this pandemic, but we&rsquo;re not at the end of this pandemic,&rdquo; Pedri said.
				He praised residents for making so many sacrifices to keep others safe and said he is optimistic the situation will improve as more are vaccinated.
				&ldquo;We just need to continue a little longer,&rdquo; Pedri said.
				There were two improvements in the county&rsquo;s latest report.
				The number of hospitalized county residents on ventilators decreased from an average daily 3.3 to 1.6 last week.
				In the remaining benchmark statistic, the percentage of hospital visits tied to coronavirus-like illnesses went from 0.6% two weeks ago to 0.5% last week.
				Compiled by the state health department, the early warning dashboard is posted at<a href="https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Monitoring-Dashboard.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> www.health.pa.gov</a>.
				Vaccinations
				Based on the latest figures, 56,577 county residents are now fully vaccinated.
				Another 33,981 county residents are partially vaccinated because they received one of two required doses.
				Residents unsure if they are eligible can access the state health department&rsquo;s online &ldquo;Your Turn&rdquo; tool at <a href="https://www.pa.gov/guides/get-vaccinated/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.pa.gov/guides/get-vaccinated/</a>, which asks screening questions and directs users to a map of providers administering vaccines.
				Those without internet access can contact 1-877-PA-HEALTH to determine their vaccine eligibility and receive contact information for providers administering the vaccine near them.
				As of last week, 10 county residents 75 and older had obtained free rides to vaccine appointments through a volunteer initiative launched by the county Cares Commission for those without transportation.
				To date, 100 volunteers have signed up to provide rides to those requesting them, county Councilman Matthew Vough said during last week&rsquo;s meeting of the commission, which he chairs.
				Residents can contact the county&rsquo;s Area Agency on Aging to request a ride at 570-822-1158.
				Volunteers are grouped in four regions and receive emails requesting assistance when someone needs a ride in their area, Vough said. If someone accepts an assignment, they also are asked to transport that senior for their second required shot unless they have a scheduling conflict.
				&ldquo;People are grateful,&rdquo; Vough said of those taking advantage of the service.
				Statewide perspective
				Luzerne County isn&rsquo;t alone in tracking more cases coronavirus cases. Of the 67 counties, 54 &mdash; or 81% &mdash; reported week-over-week increases.
				While Luzerne County is still hovering below a double-digit positivity rate, 16 other counties had rates over 10% last week, the report shows.
				Pennsylvania had increases in all six benchmark statistics last week.
				There were 17,811 new cases logged statewide last week, or 3,179 more than the prior week&rsquo;s 14,632.
				As a result, the statewide incidence rate jumped from 114.3 to 139.1.
				The state&rsquo;s positivity rate rose from 6.5% to 7.6%.
				An average daily 1,633.1 residents were hospitalized for COVID-19 last week, which is 153.9 more. The number on ventilators increased from 167.6 to 191.4.
				Finally, the percentage of hospital visits tied to coronavirus-like illnesses went from 0.5% two weeks ago to 0.7% last week.

Luzerne County coronavirus cases and hospitalizations still rising