County reports 1% positivity rate from July mass testing event in Lawrence; COVID-19 cases increase to 750

photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Aug. 11 COVID-19 update from the health department

The results from a three-day free mass testing event in Lawrence in mid-July showed that only 1% of participants tested positive for COVID-19.

The event, which took place July 8-10, was conducted by Lenexa-based Heart to Heart International at three different sites in Lawrence. Of the 1,081 tests that were administered, only 12 Douglas County residents and two others from area counties tested positive for COVID-19. That’s a 1.3% positivity rate.

“We are glad to see around a 1% positivity rate from the mass testing event in Douglas County in early July, particularly because that was during a time when we were seeing our highest rolling seven-day average of about 26 new cases per day and when we instituted public health orders requiring masks and closing bars and nightclubs in the community,” Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health Director of Informatics Sonia Jordan said in a Tuesday press release. “We are grateful to Heart to Heart for sharing these results that gave us a picture of what was occurring in our community at that time and working with us as we seek to continue to convert information into actionable and effective decisions during the pandemic.”

Heart to Heart International shared that 80.6% of the people tested in Douglas County were asymptomatic at the time of the test, and 19.4% reported that they were symptomatic.

Jordan said the public needs to continue being vigilant about mask wearing, social distancing, washing hands and staying home when feeling sick, noting that the results from the testing are only a “one point in time during the pandemic.”

Douglas County has reported 750 cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, an increase of six cases since Monday.

In Douglas County, 657 out of the 750 cases are inactive or beyond the infectious period, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.

Six patients at Lawrence’s hospital had COVID-19 on Tuesday, two more than Monday. Five Douglas County residents have died thus far from COVID-19 or with the virus as a contributing factor in their deaths.

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