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Luzerne County has tracked 53 additional coronavirus deaths in a week, according to a new report from county Manager C. David Pedri.
				There were 274 deaths in his last report issued Nov. 25, or the day before Thanksgiving. On Thursday, the number of deceased had grown to 327.
				&rdquo;An astonishing 327 of our friends and neighbors here in Luzerne County who were with us at the start of this year, now won&rsquo;t see the end of this year,&rdquo; Pedri said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m asking each citizen to keep these people in mind as we move about this holiday season.&rdquo;
				Residents should not &ldquo;become numb&rdquo; to the statistics, he said.
				&rdquo;These are our community&rsquo;s mothers, fathers, siblings, neighbors and friends who were struck down by this virus. They are not faceless victims,&rdquo; Pedri said.
				He reiterated the need to wear masks, wash hands and maintain a distance from others, saying everyone must &ldquo;do their part.&rdquo;
				The latest COVID-19 victims include three county residents in their 50s &mdash; a 54-year-old woman and two men 51 and 52, his report shows.
				Ten were in their 60s.
				The victims are from municipalities throughout the county, and 21 were not residents of nursing homes or other group living facilities.
				Three were residents of the White Haven Center, which provides care for male and female residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the report said.
				Eighteen victims were residents of Wesley Village in Pittston, including 11 in their 90s.
				One of the deceased &mdash; a 79-year-old man &mdash; was an inmate at SCI Dallas. That means six male inmates at the state prison, all in their 70s, have died since October, his reports show. 
				The latest victims bring the county&rsquo;s November coronavirus death count to 106.
				There were 23 deaths in October, one in September and four in August.
				To date, 11 county residents have died in December.
				Pedri said he remains in regular communication with county hospitals, state health officials and other entities impacted to keep tabs on any unaddressed needs.
				On average, 106.7 county residents were hospitalized for COVID-19 from Nov. 20 to 26, compared to 92.9 the previous week, according to the state&rsquo;s most recent early warning update.
				In comparison, the county&rsquo;s daily average hospitalizations were 6.6 the first week of October and 16.3 the second week.
				More hospitalized county residents also required ventilators the week of Nov. 20 to 26 &mdash; an average daily 12.4 versus 8.3 residents two weeks ago, the state said.

Pedri describes Luzerne County’s fast-rising coronavirus deaths as ‘astonishing’