Due to an increase in new COVID-19 cases, a higher positivity rate and strained hospital capacity the Risk Dial moved from low to mid-orange on Tuesday. “This tells us the risk of COVID-19 spread and impact in the community is already high and moving in the wrong direction,” says Lancaster County Health Director Pat Lopez.
Lopez says there has been a 33-percent increase in cases in Lancaster County in the last five weeks. Cases in October remained about 80 but jumped to 112 at the end of last week. The positivity rate is at 12%. Lopez would like to see that between 5 and 7-percent.
Hospitalizations reached 107 on November 9th, the highest number in over a month. She says 15-percent of children ages 5 to 11 are now vaccinated, a total of 4,400 children. 61-percent of everyone eligible are fully vaccinated. 19%, or 61-thousand are eligible but have not been vaccinated.
There was one additional death reported on Tuesday, a woman in her 50’s who was hospitalized and unvaccinated.