Article updated at 5:37 p.m. Wednesday:
Douglas County is back up to 326 active cases of COVID-19, with 159 new cases reported in the past two days, according to the latest statistics from Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.
After peaking at more than 6,000 active cases in January, the number had dropped to a recent low of 95 on March 30. Between the health department’s Monday and Wednesday updates, the county has recorded 289 new cases.
The rolling 14-day average of positive COVID-19 tests was 11.1%, according to the latest report. One week ago, that number was 5%. The county had hit a recent low of 1.3% on March 11. For perspective, test positivity peaked at 25.2% in January.
After reporting zero COVID-19 inpatients last month for the first time since June 2021, LMH Health had four on Wednesday, according to the stats.
Lawrence Public Schools have also seen an uptick this week, with 42 total new cases recorded Monday and Tuesday.
The county is still in the “green” community transmission indicator phase, however, meaning the health department recommends masks for unvaccinated people in public places but OKs attending larger gatherings if fully vaccinated, participating in team sporting events, eating indoors in restaurants and holding smaller indoor parties with people outside your household.
The 14-day moving average of new cases reported per day was 15.2 on Wednesday. If that number reaches 25 and active cases reach more than 500, public heath officials might recommend stronger mask guidance, though those numbers aren’t set in stone.
Douglas County commissioners most recently allowed a countywide mask mandate to expire on March 2 as the omicron variant spike subsided.
COVID-19 vaccines, boosters and flu shots are available on a walk-in basis this month at the health department, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays. More details are available at this link.
Douglas County has recorded 137 people’s deaths from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Wednesday’s update. As of April 1, 632 Douglas County residents had been hospitalized with COVID-19.
See full COVID-19 stats pulled from multiple sources on The Lawrence Times’ dashboard:
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