Covid-19 cases in Lancaster are climbing again, according to the latest state data.
The county recorded 130 new cases last week, according to Pennsylvania's Covid-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard.
That's more than double the 48 cases from the week before and more than five times the 25 cases recorded the week before that.
The new numbers are enough to raise the county's risk level to "moderate," according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The organization CovidActNow, which has stricter criteria, rates the county's risk as "high."
Encouragingly, the average Covid-19 inpatient count decreased from 7.1 to 4.1, and none were on ventilators. The county reported one Covid-19 death during the week.
Nationwide, cases are spiking due to the more contagious Covid-19 Delta variant, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. Cases are up 46.7%, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said, with Delta accounting for more than 80% of new cases.
"This is a key time to contain an outbreak," Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health said Monday in its weekly Covid-19 data update.
"People who are unvaccinated should wear masks in indoor public places, practice social distancing, and follow quarantine recommendations if they come in close contact with someone who has COVID-19," LG Health said.
"Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent serious illness from COVID-19 and to prevent further spread in our community."
