The number of new coronavirus cases recorded in Douglas County during the first month of 2022 has nearly surpassed the number recorded during the entirety of 2021, according to data released by Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.

Daniel Smith, a spokesman for the health department, confirmed Friday afternoon that the county has added 8,256 cases to its cumulative total — 23,109 COVID-19 cases since March of 2020 — in the weeks since the health department’s last update of 2021.

The number of cases added through the entire calendar year in 2021 was 8,371.

On Friday, the health department said 473 new cases had been reported in the county in the past two days. The number of COVID inpatients at LMH Health was 24.

The county’s average daily case count, based on a 14-day moving average, was 272.71 as of Friday.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Office of Vital Statistics added three additional deaths to the county’s total, bringing it to 125.

One of those deaths was from November 2021, and the other two were from December; one was a man in the 85-and-older category, and the other two were a man and woman in the 65-74 category.

Douglas County’s COVID-19 vaccination rates remain about the same as they have been lately, with 73.2% of Douglas County’s eligible population of those age 5 and older having received at least one vaccine dose; that’s 83,566 individuals. Meanwhile, 63.9% of the eligible population — or 73,026 individuals — has completed the two-dose series.

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.