For the first time in over a month, Lyon County’s active COVID-19 case total is under 100 cases.
In its first update of the week Monday, Public Health reported just 11 new cases were identified over the past weekend putting the overall total at 4,922. 32 recoveries were reported dropping the active total significantly from 113 to 92.
This is the lowest active total the county has had since there were 95 active cases reported on Aug. 9. Of the 92 active cases, 13 are considered breakthroughs meaning infections in fully vaccinated residents.
Collectively, Public Health has identified 133 breakthrough cases. 67 individuals were vaccinated with Moderna, 36 with Johnson and Johnson and 30 with Pfizer.
Of 159 specimens sequenced by Public Health, 97 showed a variant of concern. The last time a sample was collected with no variant of concern in Lyon County was on Jun. 15.
Meanwhile, schools have been open for the fall term for close to a month, and Lyon County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Director Jennifer Millbern says the past four weeks have seen an increase in both confirmed positive cases and close contacts as a direct result of school activity.
Public Health started relying on contact tracing and disease investigation help from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment near the end of August. Millbern says there have been cases of people being “rude and unkind” when they find out they either have the virus or are a close contact, which hasn’t helped compliance. However, she says contact tracing is among the most essential tools to slowing down COVID because it breaks the transmission cycle.
For local and area schools:
*USD 253 Emporia added 22 COVID positives, with 13 in elementary schools and the rest either at Emporia Middle School or Emporia High. There was one new staff positive and four new staff quarantines. Speaking of quarantines, the district had 21 students in-home quarantine and 31 in modified test-to-learn status. For the school year so far, there have been 72 and 15 staffers contracting COVID. Over 130 students have had to quarantine at home, with another 203 using the test-to-learn option. Fourteen staffers have been quarantined so far.
*USD 251 North Lyon County had four new student positives and 18 in quarantine, with no staff activity last week. So far this semester, the district has had 15 COVID-positive students and 78 in quarantine. There have been two staff positives and two staffers in quarantine.
*USD 252 Southern Lyon County has reported one positive staff and 11 people, students and staff alike, in quarantine between Aug. 23-27. There were no positives among either students or staff between Aug. 30 and Sept. 3, but there were seven total quarantines.
*At Emporia State University, four positives were reported after nine cases were reported between Aug. 23 and Sept. 3.
*Flint Hills Technical College had four current active cases and two in quarantine as of Monday. It is reporting nine total positives for the semester.
