March event to honor those who have died of COVID-19

As York County continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, a memorial event on March 31 will pay tribute to those who lost their lives to the virus.

Held by Healthy York Coalition, the event will commemorate the nearly 1,500 York County residents who have died since the pandemic began.

In York County, 1,461 people had  died of the disease as of Monday, and 118,023 cases had been reported since the pandemic began.

"We hope to use this opportunity to collectively pause, reflect and recognize lives lost and begin to heal as a community — TOGETHER," a website for the event reads.

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York County's 1,461 COVID deaths are among Pennsylvania's total of 43,600 since the pandemic began and 955,135 across the nation.

Since last Tuesday, York County has reported 191 new cases. There has been a steep decline in new cases over the past two months: In January, the county reported more than 1,000 new cases many days, and most days in February saw more than 100 cases.

Nine deaths were reported since last Tuesday. That number also is dropping after peaking during the recent omicron surge.

In York, 43 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday, with an average of 49.9 patients hospitalized over the past 14 days. Nine were in the ICU, and 10 were on ventilators.

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The county continues to be listed as low level by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means residents should stay updated on vaccines and get tested if they have symptoms. Mask wearing is optional.

The March 31 event will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at PeoplesBank Park, 5 Brooks Robinson Way. In addition to commemorating the lives lost, it also will honor health care workers, front line staff and community organizations.

A formal moment of remembrance and reflection will be held at 6 p.m. The evening will feature spoken word poetry, prayer and interactive experiences.

 Those who have lost loved ones are encouraged to send a photo along with their loved one's life dates to info@healthyyork.org. For more information or to get involved, email info@healthyyork.org.

— Reach Matt Enright via email at menright@yorkdispatch.com or via Twitter at @Matthew_Enright.