State reports record-high number of COVID-19 cases in Erie County
A post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 surge that Erie County health officials feared appears to have started.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Thursday there were 337 new cases of COVID-19 in the county. It's the highest single-day total since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, surpassing the 324 new cases reported Nov. 19.
"I'm concerned we'll see more cases, which usually result in more hospitalizations, after the Thanksgiving gatherings," Melissa Lyon, director of the Erie County Department of Health, said earlier this week.
Erie County, and much of the country, experienced a surge after Thanksgiving 2020.
Thursday's record-high total comes after a decline in new cases since Thanksgiving, though health officials said the drop could have been the result of a decrease in testing due to people celebrating the holiday.
The county has seen its COVID-19 test positivity percentage rise to 20.7% in recent weeks, a sign that the virus remains prevalent in the community.
COVID-19 hospitalizations among county residents have declined slightly in recent days but remain at one of the highest levels since the pandemic started.
A total of 116 county residents were hospitalized with COVID-19 Wednesday evening, including 54 in intensive care units and 11 who needed ventilators, the state Health Department reported. At least 132 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Saturday and Sunday.
Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: 337 COVID-19 cases: State reports record-high total for Erie County
