Lyon County Public Health Incident Commander Renee Hively tells KVOE News there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases related to public gatherings, but not in the category you might expect: church camps.
Hively says there are five Emporia churches that have reported case activity since mid-July, and the camps themselves have been in Lyon County, other parts of Kansas and in other states. Over 40 staff and children have been infected.
With athletic training camps getting underway, Hively is asking parents and students to cooperate with contact tracers and disease investigators.
In addition, Hively urged residents to get vaccinated and use masks when they can’t use social distancing methods. She also asked residents to track COVID-19 trends on a regional basis, not a local one — thus offering a better picture on what may be coming.
On the vaccination side, Hively had some good news for people wanting to use the single-shot Johnson & Johnson variety. Earlier, Public Health had said this past Saturday would be the last date people could use that vaccine because of expiration date and supply issues. The supply problems remain, but the expiration date has been extended.
Lyon County added 39 new cases and saw the active caseload increase from 60 to 95 between Friday and Monday.
