photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Dec. 21 COVID-19 update from the health department

Douglas County reported 5,974 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, an increase of 115 cases since Friday.

In Douglas County, 5,110 out of the 5,974 cases are inactive or beyond the infectious period, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, meaning 864 cases are active.

The county has averaged about 40 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 39.86 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 463.88 per 100,000 people. The county’s COVID-19 test positivity rate is 2.7%.

Twenty-six patients at Lawrence’s hospital had COVID-19 on Monday, six more than Friday. Of those 26 inpatients, 20 have active COVID-19 cases and six 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 47,372 Douglas County residents had been tested for the disease so far. The county’s testing rate per 1,000 people was 387.5.