photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Oct. 22 COVID-19 update from the health department.

Douglas County reported 2,784 cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday, an increase of 18 cases since Wednesday.

In Douglas County, 2,489 out of the 2,784 cases are inactive or beyond the infectious period, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, meaning 295 cases are active.

The county has averaged about 17 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 17.21 new cases per day is down from a high of 46 cases per day in early September and up from a recent low of nine cases per day in early August. The health department reported that the county’s 14-day average positivity rate is at 4.6%. This percentage has been on a downward trend since early September, when it hit a high of 9.8%.

Four patients at Lawrence’s hospital had COVID-19 on Thursday, one more than Wednesday. The virus has killed 17 county residents.

photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

The 14-day moving average test positivity rate for Douglas County on Oct. 22.