TOPEKA, Kan. – Shawnee County’s plateauing COVID-19 numbers continued this week as the county reported 120 cases between April 11-April 17, the health department’s COVID-19 indicator read. That total is four more cases than the previous reporting period.
The county remains in the “moderate” phase of the indicator and has a positivity rate of 3.3%. The overall score dropped from 7 last week down to 4 this week, the health department said on Twitter.
One metric that dropped from one category to a lower one was the hospital stress index, which went from 2.3 to 1.8. Hospital stress index measures scores on a scale from 0 to 3.
Stormont Vail has 11 COVID-19 patients and 95% capacity with its intensive care beds as of Thursday morning. The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis campus has only one positive patient and 81% capacity as of last Friday, which is the most recent COVID-19 update the hospital provided.
Case counts remain steady but variant cases continue to rise. The county had three cases of the U.K. variant three weeks ago and now has 60 total variant cases, including five cases of the California variant.
“Even as numbers have seemed to plateau over the last handful of weeks, it is important for our community to stay vigilant in its COVID response by continuing to practice the 3 W’s — wearing your mask, watching your distance and washing your hands — and getting the vaccine when able,” the indicator said.
The Shawnee County Health Department is offering a vaccine clinic Tuesday, April 27, from 1-6 p.m. at the Open Arm Ministries, 2401 S.E. 11th St., and another one Friday, April 30, from 10-11:45 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Fellowship Hi-Crest, 455 S.E. Golf Park Blvd.
No insurance or identification is needed, but participants will have to schedule in advance on Fellowship Hi-Crest’s website for the Friday clinic or call 720-300-0029 or 785-221-6707 for the Tuesday clinic.
