COVID update

Barton County Health Department Administrator Joel Dermott stated that it was another good COVID week in Barton County, with only one new case being registered in the past seven days. Dermott stated that the latest sewershed testing shows a 25 percent decrease in the amount of COVID remnants within the wastewater sampling and no changes in the viral load.

Dermott stated that statewide, Barton County is nearing a 50/50 split between the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 variants, but an increase in caseloads has not been seen. He noted that deaths and hospitalizations are also down dramatically, adding, “Locally, areawide and statewide you would be hard pressed to find better numbers”.

“I think that is a true definition of an Easter blessing,” said Dermott.