December 29, 2020 9 min read
Editor’s Note: We are standardizing the format for daily COVID-19 case data updates. These articles may feel repetitious but we want each one to stand alone in terms of providing maximum context around the data. This is the update for Tuesday, December 29.
The number of new COVID-19 cases over the last 14 days per 100,000 residents is currently at 1,003 for Lebanon County.
In terms of relative comparisons, the current figure of 1,003 new COVID-19 cases over the last 14 days per 100,000 residents is 24% higher compared to Lebanon County’s figures one month ago and 16% lower compared to 14 days ago. The current count of 1,003 new cases over the last 14 days per 100,000 residents is 284% higher than the all-time high this spring, 261, which occurred on April 21.
And when Pykosh arrives at work next week, she will be safer. Not immune, but more resistant.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, developed less than a year after the virus was identified, was approved last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, considered the world’s strictest medical regulator. The first of nearly 3 million doses, packed in dry ice to maintain ultra-cold temperatures, were shipped to some states last weekend. This is going to take time to get to everyone to make sure everyone who wants the vaccine can get it. Including those in the priority categories set forth by the CDC, Health Secretary Rachel Levine said.
Meritus Health received a shipment of Pfizerâs vaccine Thursday morning, according to Meritus spokeswoman Joelle Butler.
Meritus, east of Hagerstown, plans to start administering the vaccine to front-line hospital workers Friday morning.
The health system is following the state of Marylandâs phased plan for vaccinations. Announced earlier this month, the plan calls for first vaccinating health care workers, nursing home residents and first responders.
As more vaccines become available, doses would be provided next to people at high risk of severe illness or complications from COVID-19, then to people working in critical infrastructure roles and people at moderate risk of severe COVID-19 illness.
The COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Franklin and Adams counties on Wednesday.
Pharmacists from WellSpan Chambersburg and Waynesboro hospitals were on hand to receive Pfizer s vaccine, according to a news release. Doses of the vaccine were also delivered to WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital.
The first vaccinations are expected to be given on Friday to health care workers who are at the highest risk for exposure to COVID-19. This is in line with the Pennsylvania Department of Health s phased approach.
The vaccine will be offered to all WellSpan employees and patients as more doses become available. It will be a number of months yet before the vaccine is broadly available to the general public.
WellSpan hospitals are among the first 100 in the state to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. In Lebanon, WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital received its first shipment on Tuesday. WellSpan s Ephrata Community Hospital and two hospitals in York are still to receive their first doses this week.
“The COVID-19 vaccine represents a bright spot for our teams who have tirelessly cared for their friends and neighbors with COVID-19,” said WellSpan Health President and CEO Roxanna Gapstur, Ph.D., R.N. “We are encouraged by the available data, which tell us the Pfizer vaccine is 95 percent effective in lowering a person’s risk for developing COVID-19. Our hope is the vaccination will allow our teams and patients to stay healthy while alleviating the strain on health systems across Pennsylvania.”