COVID update

“Looking back through our data, the first week of November 2021 would have been the last time our COVID dashboard displayed similar numbers to our current snapshot”, said Barton County Health Department Administrator Joel Dermott. He added, “If you will recall, that was just before we began hearing reports of a new variant in South Africa named Omicron.” This variant became the dominant one locally, statewide and nationally.

Dermott said, “Today, as we look back, we see that although our case numbers rocketed off the spectrum, we did not see a corresponding increase in COVID deaths.” He also noted that the outbreak decline was much more precipitous, signaling a more definitive end.

It is hoped that as people become more and more exposed to the virus and its variants, they will continue to build a more lasting natural immunity, enabling them to better live with the virus.

To date in Barton County there have been 2,237 total confirmed cases of COVID, 564 probable cases; three active; 41 confirmed deaths; eight probable deaths; 2,749 recovered and three new cases in the past seven days.