photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Dec. 18 COVID-19 update from the health department

Douglas County reported 5,859 cases of COVID-19 as of Friday, an increase of 62 cases since Thursday.

In Douglas County, 4,905 out of the 5,859 cases are inactive or beyond the infectious period, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, meaning 954 cases are active.

The county has averaged about 44 new cases per day over the last 14 days, according to a 14-day moving average graph updated weekdays by the health department. The current average of 43.71 new cases per day is down from a recent high of 77 cases per day in mid-November and up from a recent low of 17 cases per day in mid-October.

Douglas County has a 14-day COVID-19 incidence rate of 508.77 per 100,000 people.

Twenty patients at Lawrence’s hospital had COVID-19 on Friday, two more than Thursday. Of those 20 inpatients, 13 have active COVID-19 cases and seven are recovering. To date, 31 Douglas County residents have died of COVID-19.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s online map noted that 46,515 Douglas County residents had been tested for the disease so far. The county’s testing rate per 1,000 people was 380.5.