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Woman dies in Newport Township fire

UK braces for holiday COVID-19 surge, tighter restrictions

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Friday reported 299 new cases of COVID-19 in Luzerne County. The death count is now at 396.
				That brings the total number of confirmed cases in Luzerne County to 14,716.
				Neighboring Lackawanna County has 7,125 cases and 255 deaths; Monroe County has 5,068 cases and 183 deaths.
				The Department of Health confirmed that there were 9,320 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 538,655.
				On Friday, the Department of Health opened a free drive-thru testing at Mohegan Sun Casino in Plains Township.
				The site will be open open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
				As many as 450 people can be tested per day on a first-come, first-serve basis; no registration is required.
				This week, Geisinger and Commonwealth Health began providing the COVID-19 vaccine to staff.
				There are 6,209 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19, double the peak in the spring. Of that number, 1,246 patients are in the intensive care unit with COVID-19. Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older.
				The trend in the 14-day moving average of number of hospitalized patients per day has increased by nearly 5,300 since the end of September.
				Statewide percent positivity for the week of Dec. 4&#8211;Dec. 10 stood at 16.2%.
				As of 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, there were 216 new deaths reported for a total of 13,608 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
				Mask-wearing is required in all businesses and whenever leaving home. Consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
				There are 38,208 individuals who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 640 individuals who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.
				There are 3,118,874 individuals who have tested negative to date.
				In nursing and personal care homes, there are 46,545 resident cases of COVID-19, and 8,514 cases among employees, for a total of 55,059 at 1,421 distinct facilities in all 67 counties.
				Out of our total deaths, 8,047 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities.
				Approximately 17,480 of our total cases are among health care workers.

299 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Luzerne County; 9,320 statewide