Erie County set COVID-19 positive case record for January after just 16 days

COVID-19's omicron variant is so transmissible that it appears impossible to know how many Erie County residents have been infected this month.

Erie County has already set a record with 8,774 new cases reported in January, far more than the 6,210 reported in December 2020, according to the Erie County Department of Health.

And this month's count is only through Jan. 16.

In addition to the county's confirmed and probable cases, local health officials said many more people are infected with COVID-19 and aren't being counted.

"We have such a huge amount of community spread that there are people who have COVID and don't even know they are ill," said Erin Mrenak, interim director of the county Health Department. "They aren't getting tested or can't get tested. Our cases could be 20%, 30% higher than what is reported, maybe more."

Though the omicron variant seems to be less virulent than previous COVID-19 strains, Mrenak and other health officials are concerned so many people with COVID-19 haven't been tested and aren't isolating themselves.

As a result, they risk spreading the virus to others who could develop life-threatening complications.

More: Erie County reports first child death due to COVID-19

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county have risen to pandemic-high levels in recent days. A total of 146 county residents with COVID-19 was hospitalized Tuesday evening, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported.

But the number of COVID-19 patients who require intensive care has increased at a lower rate, according to Erie hospitals. The county's number of COVID-19 patients on ventilators has nearly doubled to about 10 a day but still remains well below record levels.

"We are seeing more patients with COVID-19, but our hospitalists (at UPMC Hamot) are telling us that they feel omicron is a bit less severe than delta," said Emily Shears, vice president for quality for UPMC in northwestern Pennsylvania and New York. "ICU admissions are flat compared to the delta variant and we are seeing less use of oxygen at a high rate."

The county's number of people dying from COVID-19 has also declined despite the rise in cases. Only four deaths of county residents due to COVID-19 complications have been reported in January, compared to 71 in December.

Erie County's COVID-19 numbers drop, but health officials wary

The county has reported a decline in new COVID-19 cases in recent days, though health officials said they don't think this surge has passed its peak.

A total of 3,623 new cases was reported from Jan. 11-17, compared to 4,275 cases reported from Jan. 4-10.

The decline is likely due to the recent snowstorm, people declining tests due to long lines at testing clinics, and more people choosing at-home tests and not reporting the results to their physician, said Howard Nadworny, M.D., a Saint Vincent Hospital infectious diseases specialist and county Health Department adviser.

"If we had nearly 90% of the population vaccinated, like the U.K., I'd expect cases to peak next week and fall off," Nadworny said in an email. "But with more unvaccinated, I expect the peak will take longer to reach and may decline more slowly."

About 56% of all county residents are fully vaccinated, according to the county Health Department.

The county Health Department will offer free COVID-19 testing Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Bayfront Convention Center, 1 Sassafras Pier.

Testing will also be available Thursday from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Center, 312 Chestnut St. Call 814-459-2761, ext. 225, to confirm it will be open.

More: At-home COVID test website launches early. How to order free testing kits from the government

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: COVID-19: Erie County sets COVID case record for January