There’s been a COVID spike, with cases and hospitalizations up in Delaware County, prompting officials to urge vaccinations, boosters, and masks, writes Kathleen E. Carey for the Daily Times.

Delaware County Council and the Delaware County COVID Task Force convened a “Healthy for the Holidays” Town Hall Wednesday evening to review the COVID spike.  

“We have seen numbers of new cases, numbers of individuals visiting the hospitals because of COVID, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and numbers of individuals needing ventilators – all of these number indicators are increasing,” said Dr. Victor Alos Rullan, Delaware County’s epidemiologist.

Delaware County’s percentage of those testing positive for COVID should be under 5 percent.

“Right now, we are at 9.8,” he said.

That means more community transmission, triggering a COVID spike.

As of Dec. 7, there was a seven-day average of 199.3 new cases. 

Overall, Delaware County has had 67,754 COVID cases and 1,534 COVID-related deaths since the pandemic started.

Based on Dec. 2 statistics, 59.8% of Delaware County residents are fully vaccinated, Rullan said.

Rullan said case numbers are going up because more susceptible, mostly unvaccinated people, are getting infected.

Immunity may also be declining, which is why boosters are needed.

Read more at the Daily Times about the current COVID-19 situation.

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6abc has a news report on the sudden uptick in COVID hospitalizations in Pennsylvania.