County COVID numbers on decline
Harvey County mirrored a statewide trend of falling COVID-19 case numbers during the last week.
According to Lynette Redington, director of the Harvey County Health Department, the county reported 18 active cases of the disease May 11 a drop of 11 from the previous week.
Kansas reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 1,450 new cases. That s down 15.6% from the previous week s tally of 1,717 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
This comes on the heels of an announcent from the Center for Disease Control lrecommending the Pfizer vaccine for children age 12 through 15. Those who havePpfizer, like Hesston Pharmacy, are ready. They are ready to start doing that, Redington said. We do not have that, but we are ready to assist our partners.
The Kansan
Harvey County residents may participate in a second regional COVID-19 survey about vaccinations a survey that includes much of south-central Kansas.
“The local health officials in our region are once again sponsoring [it],” said Keri Korthals Director of Butler County Emergency Management. “This is a follow-up to the survey that was conducted in partnership with KU Med at the end of last year.”
One of its primary purposes of the survey is to gather information from individuals who have not been vaccinated. Researchers are gathering insights of those individuals regarding their thoughts and concerns about the vaccine. As well as to identify potential barriers to receiving the vaccine.
The Kansan
A COVID-19 variant first found in the United Kingdom has made its way to Harvey County, with the Harvey County Health Department reporting the first five cases of variant B.1.1.7. That is the UK variant that is highly contagious, said Lynette Redington, director of the Harvey County Health Department.
According to the Center for Disease Control, B.1.1.7: was first identified in the U.S. in December 2020. It was initially detected in the United Kingdom.
The CDC has identified four variants, with two of those identified in Harvey County in the past two weeks.
According to the CDC, these variants seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19.
County reports first breakthrough COVID cases
By Kansan Staff
Some 26% of people living in Harvey County are fully vaccinated as of April 27, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The county reported two breakthrough cases new cases of COVID-19 For Harvey County, that is not bad. One of those is a variant, said Lynette Redington, director of the Harvey County Health Department. It is called the New York variant. It is classed as a variant of interest . the lowest classification of variants.
Both of those individuals have recovered.
The county reported there are 3,560 fully vaccinated individuals in the county.
Number one: Hesston Pharmacy tops in the state for vaccinations
The Kansan
Sandie Kueker s Hesston Pharmacy was one of the first pharmacies in the state to start giving COVID-19 vaccinations when the shots became available first partnering with the county health department to get doses before a federal vaccination program for pharmacies opened up.
The community jumped on board from the beginning offering notes of support, encouragement and volunteering to help create clinics with the goal of brining the pandemic to an end. It is so many volunteers. It makes you teary eyed to think about how amazing this community is, Kueker said.