People unvaccinated, but eligible, account for 62% of new COVID cases in Douglas County; Delta variant a growing concern

photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Douglas County has seen an increase in new COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, likely because of the emergence of the more contagious Delta variant, according to a news release Friday from Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.

Among 53 new cases reported to LDCPH since July 1, 33 cases, or about 62%, have been among those who are unvaccinated but eligible for vaccination, the release said. Six cases were among those too young for the current vaccines, which is everyone under 12.

The health department urged all who are eligible to sign up for a vaccine if they have not done so.

“Our community has done a great job on so many fronts throughout the pandemic,” said Dan Partridge, director of LDCPH. “Our overall vaccination rate has put us in the position we are with lower case rates and hospitalizations, but we just ask our community to continue to be smart and safe, and we encourage those unvaccinated to seek out appointments or information from trusted medical sources if they are in need of guidance.”

Unlike prior surges of new cases, the current surge is occurring when a significant number of the population is fully vaccinated, which is providing protection for those who have done so, the release said.

The release stated that the vaccines have been effective at reducing chances for severe illness and that LDCPH to date has had no reports of a Douglas County resident who was fully vaccinated having to be hospitalized for COVID-19.

Anyone interested in booking a vaccine appointment or learning more about incentives for getting vaccinated can visit LDCHealth.org/COVIDVaccine. Businesses and organizations interested in LDCPH providing a vaccine clinic or COVID testing on site can also visit LDCHealth.org/COVIDClinic to make a request.

As of Friday, the cumulative virus case count in Douglas County was 9,448. Since March 2020, 341 people have been hospitalized. Eighty-five deaths have been reported in the county since the beginning of the pandemic, with the most recent reported on June 8.

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