photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Just a week after Douglas County moved up a tier in Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health’s coronavirus transmission scale, the county is on the cusp of moving up yet another tier to the highest level of severity, the “red” zone.

Those color tiers are based on certain thresholds for two statistics: the 14-day moving average daily case count and the number of current active cases. As of late Tuesday afternoon, Douglas County’s average daily case count is 57.8, and there are 970 active cases. For now, the county remains in the less severe “yellow” zone.

But the county has already met part of the criteria to escalate another level of severity. In the red tier, the average daily case count has to be anywhere above 50 — the indicator the county has already surpassed — and the number of active cases has to be more than 1,000. If another 30 community members join the list of active cases, the county will officially re-enter the red tier.

The health department offers recommendations based on each tier, and the most noteworthy one in the red tier is the consideration of a community mask mandate. There was such a mandate in place earlier this year as Douglas County experienced an all-time high surge in COVID cases, but the Douglas County Commission allowed the mandate to expire at the beginning of March.

Douglas County is up to 26,541 cumulative COVID cases since March of 2020, and five of the county’s current active cases are hospitalized at LMH Health for their symptoms as of Tuesday.

The health department continues to recommend that Douglas County residents follow updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, and also encourages the public to get vaccinated. The Food and Drug Administration in late March approved a second booster dose for certain immunocompromised individuals and people age 50 and older who received an initial booster dose at least four months ago.

The health department administers vaccinations and booster doses at the clinic on the first floor of the Community Health Building, 200 Maine St., for adults and eligible children. The clinic will accept walk-ins during April from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays. Those interested in getting vaccinated can call (785) 843-0721 with any questions.

They’ll also host a drive-thru booster clinic Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at Lawrence Health Plaza, 330 Arkansas St. Those interested in receiving a booster can register for the clinic at ldchealth.org/getmyvaccine. Shots are also widely available at various pharmacies and doctor’s offices.