Erie County reports more COVID-19 deaths; sets flu record for second straight week

Erie County continues to see a surge in COVID-19 deaths, despite relatively stable numbers of new cases and hospitalizations over the last few months.

Nine more deaths were reported last week among county residents, increasing the total to 23 deaths reported from Nov. 8-Dec. 8. It's the highest number reported in a monthlong span since February, according to Erie County Department of Health data.

More: Triple whammy as Erie County reports rise in RSV, flu and COVID-19 cases

"What this tells me is that COVID is still a deadly disease, especially for older and more frail people," said Dr. Howard Nadowrny, a Saint Vincent Hospital infectious diseases specialist and county health department adviser.

All but a handful of the 23 most recent deaths were people older than 65, with an average age in the lower 80s, county health department officials said.

Seven of them were fully vaccinated with boosters, but the others were either unvaccinated or not up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Nadworny expressed the importance of getting the bivalent booster dose, which was recently approved by the Food & Drug Administration for everyone 6 months and older.

More: Bivalent COVID shot for young kids gets federal approval, will be available within days

"The bivalent vaccine has been shown to offer protection against these new omicron variants," Nadworny said. "The people who receive that booster are less likely to get COVID, and if they do get it their illness is usually less severe."

Since people 70 and older have weakened immune systems that can make vaccines less effective, Nadworny also recommended that people wear face masks when visiting older people during cold and flu season.

"That is especially important if you aren't feeling well," Nadworny said. "The older people who are getting COVID and flu are being infected by younger people, such as caregivers and family members."

The county's numbers of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rose last week after a few weeks of decline. It's probably due, in part, to the emergence of newer omicron subvariants, including BQ 1 and BQ 1.1, Nadworny said.

Still, the number of people hospitalized with COVID remains well below the totals seen during the delta and initial omicron surges in early 2022. A daily average of 29.7 county residents with COVID were hospitalized from Nov. 30-Dec. 6, compared to 18.1 from Nov. 23-29.

"We have seen a slight uptick in COVID hospitalizations the past two weeks but it's only 25% of what we saw this time of year the past two years," said Emily Shears, UPMC Hamot's vice president, operations.

Here is a look at the county's other COVID-19 measurements between Nov. 23-29 and Nov. 30-Dec. 6, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health:

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose from 131 to 207.

• The rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents increased from 48.4 to 76.5.

• The positivity rate for COVID-19 tests rose from 7.5% to 9.5%.

• The average daily number of COVID-19 patients on ventilators declined from 0.6 to 0.

• The percentage of emergency department visits due to COVID-19 symptoms dropped from 4.2% to 2.7%.

Erie County sets another record for weekly flu cases

Erie County reported a record number of flu cases for the second straight week as the region battles what has become a severe flu season.

The county's weekly number of cases rose from 647 reported cases between Nov. 20-26 to 727 reported cases between Nov. 27-Dec. 3, according to the county health department. The seasonal total stands at 2,354, which is already the county's fourth-highest seasonal total since flu became a reportable disease in 2003.

More: Erie County sets 1-week record for flu cases, up 66% from previous week

Flu season usually peaks between January and March, and the 2021-22 season peaked in March and April.

Flu hospitalizations increased in the county last week from seven to 17, though local hospitals seem to be handling the slight influx of patients.

"Our number of flu patients has just about doubled over the last two weeks, but it's only from four or five patients to eight (on Friday)," Shears said. "We often run at high capacity no matter what time of year, but we are handling it well."

Here is a look at Erie County's annual number of confirmed flu cases in recent years:

• 2021-22 — 1,926

• 2020-21 — 14

• 2019-20 — 4,449

• 2018-19 — 2,403

• 2017-18 — 3,859

• 2016-17 — 2,110

• 2015-16 — 751

• 2014-15 — 1,176

• 2013-14 — 700

• 2012-13 — 1,187

• 2011-12 — 55

Source: Erie County Department of Health

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County reports more COVID-19 deaths, record number of flu cases