Seven new COVID-19 deaths reported in York County amid growing epidemic

The spread of COVID-19 continues to increase across Pennsylvania amid growing concerns about the omicron variant.

In total, York County has recorded 72,448 cases of COVID-19 and 1,086 deaths since the start of the pandemic. That includes 831 new cases and seven new deaths since Thursday.

Across 67 counties, the state has recorded 1,464,635 cases and 33,902 deaths. There have been more than 5.9 million negative COVID-19 tests across Pennsylvania, including 198,983 in York County.

Following: First confirmed case of omicron reported in Pennsylvania

Following: Conditions inside York County Jail likely contributed to COVID outbreak, inmate says

Following: WellSpan Delays Non-Emergency Procedures Amid Growing COVID-19 Cases

According to state Department of Health data, York County had 163 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 on Sunday, including 39 adult intensive-care patients and 32 patients on ventilators.

Demand is high enough that WellSpan Health spokesperson Ryan Coyle said all WellSpan sites are currently delaying elective care. WellSpan York Hospital alone reported 122 cases of acute hospitalization of COVID-19 on Friday.

All of this comes as Pennsylvania registers its first omicron case. A Philadelphia man in his 30s was diagnosed with the new variant on Friday.

Dr Anthony Fauci confirmed on Wednesday that the United States recorded its first case of the variant in a traveler who returned from South Africa to the United States on November 22.

The Biden administration decided late last month to restrict travel from southern Africa, where the variant was first identified. Clusters of cases have also been identified in around two dozen other countries.

The good news is that World Health Organization officials have said that mitigation efforts used against the delta variant, such as vaccinations, social distancing, and wearing masks, should work against the omicron variant. Dr Takeshi Kasai, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, said imposing travel restrictions can also save time.

“We cannot be complacent,” Kasai said in a Associated Press Report.

Following: Governor Tom Wolf’s mask term set to expire Dec 4, judge rules amid school debate

Following: York County Districts Surpass Last Year’s COVID-19 Total Less Than Halfway Through the School Year

York County Public Schools reached at least 3,523 cases on Friday, including 58 new cases recorded in the previous 24 hours. This is the third day in a row that daily COVID-19 cases have risen from average, following several days of low daily cases after the Thanksgiving break.

York County schools have already surpassed the total number of cases from the previous school year and, at that rate, they will more than double last year’s total by the summer. In the 2020-21 school year, schools in the county recorded about 2,800 cases.

Following: Over 2,800 COVID-19 cases recorded in York County schools during the school year

Following: COVID-19 reports vary widely between York County schools

No two school districts track COVID-19 cases the same way.

Five districts – Dallastown, Hanover, Northeastern, Southern and West Shore – do not display the total number of cases for the school year. Instead, some of them only publish cases recorded in the previous 14 days, while others only publish active cases.

Among other districts, COVID-19 tracking varies. Some districts do not include cases that were acquired while students or staff were off district property. Some combine probable and confirmed cases, while others keep the two separate.

It is impossible to know the exact number of COVID-19 cases linked to each school district in the county. Corn The York Dispatch will continue to monitor the number of cases in each district to the best of our knowledge.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

You can track your district’s registered cases for the 2021-2022 school year here. We will continue to update daily as the numbers change.