photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Sept. 8 COVID-19 update from the health department

Douglas County has reported 1,739 cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, an increase of 173 cases since Friday.

The county has averaged about 26 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 26 new cases per day is down from a recent high of 45 cases per day in late August and up significantly from a recent low of about nine cases per day in early August.

In Douglas County, 1,022 out of the 1,739 cases are inactive or beyond the infectious period, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.

As of Monday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s online map noted that 26,402 Douglas County residents had been tested for the disease. The county’s testing rate per 1,000 people was 216. Douglas County has the second-highest testing rate out of Kansas’ counties, following Ford County, which has a testing rate of 264.3 people per 1,000.

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