photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

More than 900 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health since Monday, and the county has been seeing an average of more than 230 new cases per day for the past two weeks, according to the latest numbers from the health department.

On Wednesday afternoon, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health reported 916 new cases of COVID-19 in Douglas County since Monday. The county’s 14-day moving average of new cases per day was at 231.29 on Wednesday, up from 214.64 on Monday. Douglas County currently has 4,042 active cases of COVID-19, including 20 inpatients at LMH Health.

Hospital officials in Lawrence and throughout the state have been pleading with the public to get vaccinated amid the recent COVID-19 surge and the arrival of the omicron variant. Everyone age 5 and up is eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, and local health officials have pressed for all eligible residents to be vaccinated and get booster shots. All adults 18 and older, and all people 12 and older who received the Pfizer vaccine, are eligible for boosters.

The health department reported Wednesday that 72,308 Douglas County residents, or 63.3% of the county’s eligible population, had received two doses of the vaccine, and 33,833, or 32.8%, had gotten a booster as well.

To get your free booster shot, visit www.ldchealth.org. For questions or help registering, call 785-843-0721. Booster shots are also widely available at various pharmacies and doctors’ offices throughout the county.

Douglas County also reported one new COVID-19 death on Wednesday: a woman between the ages of 65 and 74. The county has seen 116 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March 2020.