photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Nov. 23 COVID-19 update from the health department

Two more Douglas County residents have died from COVID-19, more than 200 new cases were reported over the weekend, and the county now has more than 1,000 active cases of the virus for the first time, the local health department said Monday.

Previously, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health announced that 20 people — six residents between the ages of 65 and 74, two residents between the ages of 75 and 84 and 12 residents age 85 or older — had died from COVID-19 or with the virus as a contributing factor in their deaths.

The deaths over the weekend included a male in the 75 to 84 age range who had been hospitalized at the time of his death and a male in the 85 or older age range who had not been hospitalized, health department spokesperson George Diepenbrock said. LMH Health, Lawrence’s hospital, reported three deaths of COVID-19 inpatients over the weekend. Only one of those patients was a Douglas County resident, Diepenbrock said.

An update from LMH Health on Monday noted the challenging weekend.

“The pandemic feels relentless, especially as we report the deaths of three additional COVID-19 inpatients,” the update read. “We hold these individuals in our hearts, and we extend the sincerest of sympathies to their loved ones as they grieve these losses.”

Douglas County reported 4,448 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, an increase of 222 cases since Friday. Of the 4,448 cases, 3,296 are inactive or beyond the infectious period, meaning 1,152 cases are active. This is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that more than 1,000 cases have been active in the county.

The county has averaged 65 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 65 new cases per day is down from a recent high of 68 cases per day in mid-November and up from a recent low of 18 cases per day in mid-October.

Douglas County’s 14-day moving average test positivity rate is at 8.6%. It is down from a recent high of 13.4% in early November and up from a recent low of 4.9% in mid-October.

Twenty-nine patients at Lawrence’s hospital had COVID-19 on Monday, three fewer than Friday.

KDHE’s online map noted that 38,688 Douglas County residents had been tested for the disease so far. The county’s testing rate per 1,000 people was 316.4.

photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Douglas County’s 14-day moving average COVID-19 test positivity rate as of Nov. 23.