photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Douglas County has officially entered the coronavirus transmission yellow zone, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health’s latest data.

Yellow — as opposed to red, which the county has been in since the end of December — means the county’s daily case count, based on a 14-day moving average, has dropped below 50, and active cases have dropped below 1,000. On Friday afternoon, the moving average was at 38.3, and active cases were at 957.

The county has added 52 new COVID cases since Wednesday’s update, bringing the total since March of 2020 to 25,102. The number of inpatients hospitalized for COVID at LMH Health has increased from seven on Wednesday to eight on Friday.

The county’s current public health order requiring masks is set to expire Wednesday barring other action by the County Commission. The commission’s agenda for its meeting on Wednesday doesn’t include any items related to the mask order.

Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health continues to encourage community members to follow updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and also urges them to get vaccinated. The health department administers vaccinations and booster doses at the clinic on the first floor of the Community Health Building, 200 Maine St., for adults and for eligible children.

To register for an appointment, visit ldchealth.org/getmyvaccine. Those interested in an appointment can also call 785-843-0721 for help with registering or with additional questions. Shots are also widely available at various pharmacies and doctor’s offices.

The health department also offers information about where to go to get tested for COVID in Douglas County on its website.

Additionally, KDHE has a COVID testing site at the former Payless Shoe location at 1540 Wakarusa Drive. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.