COVID-19 was the major focus of Lyon County Commissioners during their regular meeting Thursday morning.
Lyon County Public Health Officer Dr. Ladun Oyenuga presented her weekly COVID-19 update to commissioners during that time where she reported the county’s test positivity rate currently stands at 5.24 percent. This comes after an announcement last week that Lyon County had its first confirmed case of the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant, commonly known as the UK variant.
Dr. Oyenuga says the county is waiting to hear back from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment regarding tests from close contacts of the positive individual. However; at this time there are no signs that the variant strain has spread locally.
Dr. Oyenuga went on to echo concerns shared by Lyon County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Director Jenniffer Millbern regarding the recent decline of COVID-19 vaccination appointments. She says the decline may be attributed to certain fears that younger residents have regarding the potential long-term effects the vaccine could have on the body.
She says the potential side-effects of vaccines are known, however, the long-term effects of contracting coronavirus are still being determined. She says the safest option at this time is for residents to receive the vaccine and not risk a COVID-19 infection.
The report comes a week after commissioners chose to reorganize many local mandates to “strong recommendations.” Lyon County Commission Chairman Rollie Martin says increased vaccinations throughout the county will have a strong impact on the potential relaxation of more mitigation efforts in the months to come.
In other business, commissioners unanimously extended the county’s COVID-19 disaster declaration until May 6. The declaration allows local units of government to gain access to major resources amid the pandemic.
A resolution to endorse the Convention of States, an ongoing effort to enact term limits on federal officials and pass a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution, failed Thursday morning.
Lyon County Commissioners will reconvene for their weekly action session at 9 am inside the Lyon County Courthouse next Thursday.
