Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths all continue to increase in Lancaster County.
Average hospital Covid-19 inpatient numbers increased 35% last week, while new cases increased 28%, from 640 to 820.
That put the county's incidence rate at 150.3 per 100,000, well above the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's 100-per-100,000 threshold for "high" community transition.
As of Tuesday morning, the county had 67 Covid-19 inpatients, of whom 14 were in intensive care and 11 were on ventilators, according to Pennsylvania's Covid-19 dashboard.
As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the majority of those patients are at the county's largest hospital, Lancaster General: It accounts for 49 inpatients, 13 of the 14 in intensive care, and all 11 on ventilators.
The county coroner has recorded eight Covid-19 deaths since Aug. 23, including two today.
Vaccination remains the best defense against Covid-19, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health said in its weekly data update, but it's no longer enough.
"As the Delta variant spreads, a layered prevention strategy is needed," LG Health said, 'Including social distancing and masking for everyone indoors."
