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The process for vaccinating a larger group of Douglas County residents, including the elderly and teachers, may win key approvals in the next day or two, leaders at Lawrence Memorial Hospital were told Wednesday.
LMH leaders have begun putting together a pair of rapid response teams to begin delivering COVID-19 vaccinations to people beyond local health care workers, to whom officials have been providing vaccines for the last few weeks. But leaders were cautioned that an exact date for broader scale vaccinations to begin isn’t yet known. But official word from the state to begin the process is expected soon.
photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World Illustration
As the second week of school since winter break comes to a close, cases for the coronavirus in Douglas County continue to rise and have led to an upgrade in Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health’s school guidance recommendation.
The health department announced Thursday it had upgraded its recommendation to schools to its orange tier. The orange tier calls for schools to continue to use hybrid in-person learning, but prohibit “high risk” activities and athletics. The color-coded guidance is meant to help county school districts navigate reopening schools and conducting activities as the pandemic continues during the school year.
Staff Report
Jan. 14 COVID-19 update from the health department
Douglas County reported 7,440 cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday, an increase of 67 cases since Wednesday.
In Douglas County, 6,233 out of the 7,440 cases are inactive or beyond the infectious period, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, meaning 1,207 cases are active.
The county has averaged about 65 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 65.21 new cases per day is down from a recent high of 78 cases per day in mid-November and up from a recent low of 43 cases per day in December.
Jan. 13 COVID-19 update from the health department
Doctors from LMH Health and the University of Kansas Health System said Wednesday that they expect the COVID-19 vaccines to last six months to a year or longer.
On Sunday, the Journal-World reported that local infectious disease doctor Jennifer Schrimsher said the vaccines should work for at least three months. This week, Schrimsher noted that she expects the vaccine protection to last “well beyond that.” Schrimsher said she expects the Moderna vaccine to be effective anywhere from six months to a year.
“Moderna recently released additional data on antibody response to their vaccine,” Schrimsher wrote in an email to the Journal-World. “While this data reported stops 90 days after the second dose, the antibody levels in those vaccinated are (1) higher than those who have recovered from active infection and (2) appear to persist well past 90 days.”
Staff Report
Jan. 12 COVID-19 update from the health department
Douglas County reported 7,287 cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, an increase of 54 cases since Monday.
In Douglas County, 6,111 out of the 7,287 cases are inactive or beyond the infectious period, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, meaning 1,176 cases are active.
The county has averaged about 64 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 64.21 new cases per day is down from a recent high of 78 cases per day in mid-November and up from a recent low of 43 cases per day in December.