COVID cases per 100,000 population has risen to a "high" transmission level in the South Heartland District Health Department region. The district includes Adams. Clay, Nuckolls and Webster counties.
The 7-day case rate as of Tuesday. June 7 was 150 per 100,000. Anything higher than 100 per 100,000 is considered to be a high transmission rate. The health department's Executive Director, Michele Bever, says the actual rate is probably higher because results from home tests are usually not reported to the health department.
Bever said a combination of the continued spread of omicron variants and a low vaccination rate in the district is causing the cases numbers to rise. She said only 50% of residents in the district are vaccinated and only 30% of those people have gotten booster shots. She urged people to get vaccinated, and also encouraged vulnerable people, such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, to continue to wear a mask indoors in public places.
Bever also said that, while cases are on the rise, there are not as many hospitalizations as there once was, and hospital capacity in the district is good right now.
For locations that offer vaccinations and testing in the district,click here.