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Luzerne County has documented 27 more coronavirus deaths of residents in less than a week, prompting county Manager C. David Pedri to issue another plea to heed precautions.
				The county was at 247 deaths last Friday and now has 274 since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to his latest report released Wednesday.
				Pedri noted the victims are from municipalities throughout the county and that the majority &mdash; 20 &mdash; were not residents of nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
				&ldquo;These are our friends and neighbors, and another 27 of them have passed away, including a guy I used to work with,&rdquo; Pedri said.
				They ranged from ages 59 to 103. One was 62, and there were a dozen in their 70s, six victims in their 80s and another six in their 90s, his report shows.
				The latest victims bring the November coronavirus death count to 64. There were 23 deaths in October, one in September and four in August.
				Pedri said he is in regular communication with county hospitals, state health officials and other entities impacted to keep tabs on any unaddressed needs.
				He asked county residents to resist pandemic fatigue and continue washing hands, avoiding crowds, wearing masks and social distancing.
				The county has had triple-digit numbers of new confirmed cases almost every day this past week, he said.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s so prevalent here in Luzerne County right now. With the holidays coming up and people moving indoors, we need to keep doing the things that saved us in April,&rdquo; Pedri said.
				Latest state numbers
				According to state figures released Wednesday, the Department of Health reported that there were 196 new cases of COVID-19 in Luzerne County and 12 new deaths for the day.
				The Department of Health confirmed that there were 6,759 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 327,829.
				Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday signed a third renewal of his 90-day Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic. The first proclamation was signed on March 6, following the announcement of the first two presumptive positive cases of the virus in Pennsylvania.
				&ldquo;With cases and hospitalizations increasing, we cannot afford to let down our guard,&rdquo; said Gov. Wolf. &ldquo;This renewal will allow the commonwealth to maintain its response and support efforts as we face increasing case numbers and decreasing hospital capacity.&rdquo;
				The emergency disaster declaration provides for increased support to state agencies involved in the continued response to the virus and recovery for the state during reopening. This includes expediting supply procurement and lifting certain regulations to allow for efficient and effective mitigation.
				County averages
				Last week, an average 92.9 county residents were hospitalized for coronavirus daily, with an average 8.3 on ventilators each day, according to the state&rsquo;s early warning update.
				The county&rsquo;s incidence rate, or number of cases per 100,000 residents, was 351.6 last week.
				Also rising steadily was the county&rsquo;s positivity rate, or percentage of diagnostic tests yielding positive results, which is now at 13.4%.
				Statewide, the positivity rate was 11.1% last week. Every county in the state has a concerning positivity rate above 5% except Cameron County, which is at 1.9 percent, the state said.
				All residents are at risk, no matter their race, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or whether they live in a rural, suburban or urban area, state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said in a release about the latest early warning figures Monday.
				&ldquo;This week&rsquo;s data, in terms of hospitalization increase, an increase in the use of ventilators, case increase and percent positivity are worrisome,&rdquo; Levine said. &ldquo;Latest models show we could run out of ICU beds within a week.&rdquo;

Luzerne County’s November coronavirus death count now at 64 to date