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Luzerne County has lost 522 residents due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
				On Thursday, county Manager C. David Pedri released county coroner&rsquo;s office data on victims 368 through 500 as part of periodic updates to keep the public informed. These deaths occurred between Nov. 23 and Jan. 11.
				There were 73 men and 60 women in this group.
				The youngest were two 49-year-old men from Wilkes-Barre and Dallas, and the oldest was a 105-year-old woman who resided at Wesley Village in Pittston.
				In line with a pandemic trend, more than half of the 133 deaths &mdash; a total of 76, or 57% &mdash; were residents of nursing homes and other congregate living facilities primarily housing the elderly throughout the county.
				Wesley Village had the most coronavirus victims &mdash; 20 &mdash; among the 19 facilities listed, the report says.
				Statewide, 9,823 residents from nursing and personal care facilities have died to date, the state health department said Thursday.
				Due to the vulnerability of these facilities, their residents and workers are in the first group receiving vaccinations, with health care workers also in the mix.
				Vaccinations in skilled nursing facilities have been underway, and state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine announced Thursday the shots will now begin in personal care and assisted living facilities.
				Hospital systems have been immunizing health care workers, while Walgreens and CVS were administering the vaccine to long-term care facilities under a federal pharmacy partnership.
				The state has asked the federal government to add two more retail partners &mdash; TopCo Associates LLC and Rite Aid &mdash; to provide vaccinations in the state&rsquo;s still-ongoing first phase and future phases as more vaccines become available, Levine said Thursday. Topco offers pharmacy programs for Giant Eagle, Price Chopper, Redner&rsquo;s Markets, ShopRite, Tops Markets, Wegman&rsquo;s Food Markets and Weis Markets.
				None of the other victims in Pedri&rsquo;s new report were listed as residents of congregate or group living facilities, such as prisons.
				The deaths included residents of 23 municipalities throughout the county.
				Analyzing the report by age groups, 41 were in their 80s, followed by 39 in their 70s. The remaining breakdown: 40s, two; 50s, three; 60s, 15; 90s, 27; and 100s, six.
				As always, Pedri expressed sorrow over the loss of so many residents, saying they will be missed by their families and others.
				He is working on another report covering the additional 22 victims.
				Pedri said Thursday&rsquo;s report was the first since Dec. 16 because the coroner&rsquo;s office has been hit with an &ldquo;incredible workload&rdquo; and a confirmed coronavirus case on its staff.

Luzerne County releases report on 133 recent coronavirus deaths