photo by: Associated Press

In this Wednesday, March 11, 2020 file photo, a technician prepares COVID-19 coronavirus patient samples for testing at a laboratory in New York's Long Island. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Douglas County’s confirmed COVID-19 cases jumped by 51 from Thursday to Friday, county health officials say.

As of 3 p.m. Friday, the county had reported 251 cases of COVID-19, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health announced in a news release. Of those patients, 122 have recovered.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s online map noted that 6,675 Douglas County residents had been tested for the disease so far. The county’s testing rate per 1,000 people was 54.6. Two patients at Lawrence’s hospital had COVID-19 on Friday.

The surge in cases came in the same week that the local health department mandated mask-wearing in public and announced a two-week shutdown of bars and nightclubs in hope of slowing the virus’ spread. The county has already had one outbreak at a nightclub, the Jayhawk Cafe at 1340 Ohio St., and the health department said Friday in its release that it’s asking people who were at Bullwinkles Bar, 1344 Tennessee St., on June 20, 26 or 27 to monitor for symptoms.

“We have seen a rise of cases among younger adults, and these cases are now being linked to higher-risk older adults in our community,” county health officer Dr. Thomas Marcellino said in the release. “We have to slow down the spread of the coronavirus in Douglas County to prevent a surge of cases.”