Johnson County COVID rate at lowest in months: ‘We need to continue what we’re doing’
With the number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths dropping in Johnson County, public health director Sanmi Areola said the county is “inching toward” a date when restrictions could be rolled back.
Areola delivered some positive news to the Johnson County Board of Commissioners on Thursday, saying that COVID-19 metrics have been “looking really, really good the past few weeks.” The county’s incidence rate — or the number of new cases per 100,000 people — was 167, down from more than 800 last fall.
That’s the lowest the rate has been since July, he said, adding that residents must continue wearing masks, avoiding gatherings and following other protocols to help slow the spread of the virus.
And earlier this week, he said there could still be “be bumpy roads ahead,” as more cases of the more contagious COVID-19 variants are reported in the state.
The number of COVID-19 tests administered is down, so public health officials have been cautious about highlighting the recent decline in new cases. But with hospitalizations and deaths also now dropping, Areola said it’s safe to say the county is seeing less widespread transmission of the virus.
“All of this is good news,” Areola said. “This should be taken as we need to continue what we’re doing — that what we’re doing is helping.”
He credited the drop in cases to restrictions the county placed on businesses and mass gatherings, as well as the mask mandate. And he expects the trend to continue as more residents are vaccinated. When a high percentage of the population is vaccinated, Areola said he would support rolling back the restrictions.
Kansas has moved into vaccinating people in Phase 2 of its distribution plan, which includes residents 65 and older, and “high-contact critical workers,” such as emergency responders, teachers and child care workers.
On Wednesday, Gov. Laura Kelly announced that the state will make extra vaccine doses available to teachers and staff, in an effort to expedite K-12 school reopenings. Areola said having more vaccines earmarked for schools will help classrooms stay open while allowing the county to dedicate more doses to finish vaccinating seniors.
With COVID-19 cases dropping and thousands of teachers receiving their first doses, many Johnson County districts are allowing all students to return to in-person classes full time, not just the younger students.
Joseph LeMaster, public health officer, said the county continues to struggle making the vaccine accessible to residents who are at higher risk of developing serious symptoms from the virus, including among the Black and Latino populations.
On Wednesday, Johnson County reported 71 new COVID-19 cases. On Thursday, the positivity rate — or the number of new cases in the past 14 days — was 5%.
County health officials have been aiming for a positivity rate of less than 5% since last summer. The county reached 15.5% in November.
Hospitals reported roughly 11 new daily hospitalizations on average, according to data compiled by the Mid-America Regional Council, a drop of more than 17% from the previous week.
Areola said the latest drop in transmission is “good news, but there is still a lot of work to do,” and thanked residents for continuing to make sacrifices.
In total, Johnson County reported 42,604 cases as of Thursday. And 624 residents have died from the virus.
The county is under a health order that limits gatherings to 50 people, or 50% capacity of a venue, whichever is fewer. But it exempts shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, fitness centers, health care facilities, churches, funeral homes and private gatherings.
There is also a midnight curfew for bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 3:24 PM.
