Cases of COVID-19 in Cowley County are the highest since February, according to the County Public Health Officer Thomas Langer Friday.
In a letter posted to the the City-Cowley County Health Department Facebook page, Langer said the uptick in cases is predominantly comprised of those who are unvaccinated.
“Of the people who have tested positive this month, 63 of the new cases were infections of people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19,” Langer said. “12 of the cases are ‘break-through’ cases occurring in people who have been vaccinated or have previously had COVID-19.
“We have now identified 16 break-through cases in people that possessed either natural or vaccination immunity.”
During the first 23 days of this month, 272 people have been tested for COVID-19 and seventy-five 75 new cases have been identified, Langer said. Of those cases, 41 are active cases.
According to the health department, five people in the county are currently being treated for COVID-19 in local hospitals. One person has died from COVID-19 so far this month. The total deaths from COVID-19 in Cowley County since the pandemic began remain at 109.
“July 2021 COVID-19 activity is on pace to be the highest in terms of new cases since February 2021 having already eclipsed March 2021 when 56 new cases were diagnosed, and vaccine distribution was reaching a peak in numbers of people being vaccinated,” Langer stated. “The increase in new cases and viral activity can be connected to the newly evolving COVID-19 variants, most notably the Delta strain that is prevalent in the population currently.
Langer
“This variant is proving to be more easily spread than the original virus that we faced during 2020.”
According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s latest statewide COVID report Friday afternoon, Cowley County has confirmed 4,089 cases since the pandemic began. On July 2, KDHE tallied 4,012 for the county.
Langer compared the new data compared to this time last year.
“The illness numbers for July 2021 are concerning,” he said. “We had fewer than 30 new cases during June 2021, seeing that number more than double is not encouraging and hopefully not a preview of what could be coming next.
“While the new data is disheartening, we also can feel somewhat better when we look at what was happening during the same time period in July 2020. During that time, we had 954 people tested and we had 207 new cases identified – with no means of protecting the population, aka vaccine.”
The health department said while the new variants are continuing to threaten people, especially those with no immunity, (not vaccinated) it can correlate the lower activity rate this July as compared to last year directly to the number of people who made the decision to be vaccinated.
This month alone, 84% of the new COVID-19 cases have occurred in people with no immunity as opposed to 16% of the cases occurring in people with acquired immunity.
“While I am sad that the immunity barrier is not holding at 100%, I am a realist and understand that no vaccine of any type offers 100% protection,” Langer said. “Overall, the effectiveness of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines is exceptional, especially when you consider that the virus is doing what viruses do, mutating, to become more efficient at infecting human hosts.”
Langer said if it wasn’t for vaccines, the spread of COVID would make this July look more like last July.
“Had there been no vaccine at this point we would likely not be moving about freely and enjoying summertime events,” he said. “Despite all the rhetoric and argument that still is connected to politics and fueled by fear, being vaccinated, currently provides the best defense against COVID-19.
“There are many arguments against being vaccinated founded in supposition. I encourage everyone to consider the evidence right here in Cowley County.
Langer said no deaths have been attributed to being vaccinated but 109 deaths have occurred in 4,083 cases of COVID-19. That means for every 100 people in the local county that have contracted COVID-19 more than two have died.
“The numbers do not lie,” Langer stated. “You are at a much lower risk of death from COVID-19 if you are vaccinated. The vaccines are directly responsible for the decline in viral spread, and the resumption of more normal activity once again.”
Langer said the health department expects more cases as the summer progresses.
“As we realized last month, there are still a large number of available hosts in the local population, members of the community should continue to expect that illness from COVID-19 will occur throughout the summer,” he said. “Hopefully the infection rate will stay low, but it will not stop, and new cases will continue.
“Individuals who experience symptoms of illness are advised to take the presentation of symptoms seriously and to be tested and seek medical attention. Most importantly if you are feeling ill you are reminded to isolate from others and to stay home so that you do not spread illness to others.
“Next week is County Fair Week in Cowley County. I want to thank everyone in the county that has been supporting the ‘Get Vaccinated’ movement locally and I appreciate the efforts of local merchants and organizations that are encouraging friends and neighbors to roll up the sleeve and be vaccinated.
“Efforts to encourage additional vaccine uptake by people in our community are growing. I know that it is your choice to be vaccinated or not. But please get the facts about the vaccines and the virus to make a well-educated decision and don’t rely on opinions on social media.”
