photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

April 1 COVID-19 update from the health department

Two more Douglas County residents have died from COVID-19, according to the county health department, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the county to 86.

The new deaths were men in the 85-plus and 55-to-64 age ranges who had been hospitalized at the time of death, health department spokesperson George Diepenbrock said.

According to the health department’s dashboard, there have been 40 deaths in the 85-plus age range, 24 deaths in the 75-to-84 age range, 14 deaths in the 65-to-74 age range, six deaths in the 55-to-64 age range and two deaths in the 45-to-54 age range.

Douglas County reported 8,944 cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday, an increase of 22 cases since Tuesday.

In Douglas County, 8,729 out of the 8,944 cases are inactive or beyond the infectious period, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, meaning 215 cases are active.

The county has averaged about eight 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 7.86 new cases per day is up slightly from a low of just under seven new cases per day last week and down from a recent high of 71 cases per day in early January.

Douglas County has a 14-day COVID-19 incidence rate of 91.45 per 100,000 people and a test positivity rate of 2.4%. Test positivity rates are 2.9% in Lecompton and Baldwin City, 2.4% in Lawrence and 1.4% in Eudora. Two patients at Lawrence’s hospital had COVID-19 on Thursday, two fewer than Tuesday.

Anyone who has not completed Douglas County’s vaccine interest form may do so online at dgcoks.org/vaccineinterestform. Any residents with questions about COVID-19 or the vaccine interest form may call Douglas County’s help line at 785-864-9000.