It stands to reason that the recent decline in COVID-19 caseload activity would lead to reduced interest in tests. And that’s the case in Lyon County, according to Public Health Emergency Preparedness Director Jennifer Millbern.
At the height of the omicron wave last month, testing supplies vanished almost across the board, meaning a lot of people who wanted to know their status couldn’t get the tests they wanted. Millbern has said the wave’s crest, which saw nearly 200 cases per day logged Jan. 16 and nearly 900 cases the week of Jan. 9, may actually have been low because testing supplies disappeared.
Millbern says vaccination rates have also declined, and that includes all doses. She says Public Health is still fielding questions about whether infected residents should still get vaccinated, and she says the answer is yes. She says vaccination offers “the best protection” against both getting and transmitting COVID. Currently, Lyon County leads all area counties with around 60.24 percent of eligible residents ages 5 and up getting fully vaccinated. Lyon County also leads area counties with 56.7 percent of the total population fully vaccinated.
