By HANNAH RECHT <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2022/12/12/paxlovid-has-been-free-now-comes-the-sticker-shock/">Kaiser Health News, courtesy Daily Montanan</a>

Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of 
the federal government. The Pfizer pill has helped prevent many people 
infected with COVID-19 from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7148e2.htm">being hospitalized</a> or dying, and it may even <a target="_blank" href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.03.22281783v1">reduce the risk</a>
 of developing long COVID. But the government plans to stop footing the 
bill within months, and millions of people who are at the highest risk 
of severe illness and are least able to afford the drug — the uninsured 
and seniors — may have to pay the full price.

And that means fewer people will get the potentially lifesaving treatments, experts said.

“I think the numbers will go way down,” said Jill Rosenthal, director
 of public health policy at the Center for American Progress, a 
left-leaning think tank. A bill for several hundred dollars or more 
would lead many people to decide the medication isn’t worth the price, 
she said.

In response to the unprecedented public health crisis caused by 
COVID, the federal government spent billions of dollars on developing 
new vaccines and treatments, to swift success: Less than a year after 
the pandemic was declared, medical workers got their first vaccines. But
 as many people have refused the shots and stopped wearing masks, the 
virus still rages and mutates. In 2022 alone, 250,000 Americans <a target="_blank" href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_totaldeaths_select_00">have died</a> from COVID, <a target="_blank" href="https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Monthly-Provisional-Counts-of-Deaths-by-Select-Cau/9dzk-mvmi/data">more than</a> from strokes or diabetes.

But soon the Department of Health and Human Services will stop 
supplying COVID treatments, and pharmacies will purchase and bill for 
them the same way they do for antibiotic pills or asthma inhalers. 
Paxlovid is expected to hit the private market in mid-2023, according to
 HHS plans shared in an October meeting with state health officials and 
clinicians. Merck’s Lagevrio, a less-effective COVID treatment pill, and
 AstraZeneca’s Evusheld, a preventive therapy for the immunocompromised,
 are on track to be commercialized sooner, sometime in the winter.

The U.S. government has so far purchased <a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/26/fact-sheet-biden-administration-increases-access-to-covid-19-treatments-and-boosts-patient-and-provider-awareness/">20 million courses</a>
 of Paxlovid, priced at about $530 each, a discount for buying in bulk 
that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called “really very attractive” to the 
federal government in a July earnings call. The drug will cost far more 
on the private market, although in a statement to KHN, Pfizer declined 
to share the planned price. The government will also stop paying for the
 company’s COVID vaccine next year — those shots will <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/article/pfizer-covid-cash-marketing-drugs/">quadruple in price</a>, from the discount rate the government pays of $30 to about $120.

Bourla told investors in November that he expects the move will make 
Paxlovid and its COVID vaccine “a multibillion-dollars franchise.”

Nearly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/11/28/covid-who-is-dying/">9 in 10 people</a> dying from the virus now are 65 or older. Yet federal law restricts Medicare Part D — the prescription drug program that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/medicare-beneficiaries-enrolled-in-part-d-coverage/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D">covers nearly 50 million seniors</a>
 — from covering the COVID treatment pills. The medications are meant 
for those most at risk of serious illness, including seniors.

Paxlovid and the other treatments are currently available under an 
emergency use authorization from the FDA, a fast-track review used in 
extraordinary situations. Although Pfizer <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-announces-submission-new-drug-application-us-fda">applied for full approval</a>
 in June, the process can take anywhere from several months to years. 
And Medicare Part D can’t cover any medications without that full stamp 
of approval.

Paying out-of-pocket would be “a substantial barrier” for seniors on 
Medicare — the very people who would benefit most from the drug, wrote <a target="_blank" href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1072f5093254224ac902ca395387085c/coverage-considerations-covid-19.pdf">federal health experts</a>.

“From a public health perspective, and even from a health care 
capacity and cost perspective, it would just defy reason to not continue
 to make these drugs readily available,” said Dr. Larry Madoff, medical 
director of Massachusetts’ Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory 
Sciences. He’s hopeful that the federal health agency will find a way to
 set aside unused doses for seniors and people without insurance.

In mid-November, the White House requested that Congress approve an 
additional $2.5 billion for COVID therapeutics and vaccines to make sure
 people can afford the medications when they’re no longer free. But 
there’s little hope it will be approved — the Senate <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-votes-to-end-covid-19-emergency-declaration-11668559887">voted that same day to end</a> the public health emergency and denied similar requests in recent months.

Many Americans have already faced hurdles just <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/article/test-to-treat-biden-covid-failing-patients-pharmacies-cvs/">getting a prescription</a> for COVID treatment. Although the federal government <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/article/paxlovid-covid-pill-antiviral-access-data/">doesn’t track</a> who’s gotten the drug, a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7143a2.htm">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study</a>
 using data from 30 medical centers found that Black and Hispanic 
patients with COVID were much less likely to receive Paxlovid than white
 patients. (Hispanic people can be of any race or combination of races.)
 And when the government is no longer picking up the tab, experts 
predict that these gaps by race, income, and geography will widen.

People in Northeastern states used the drug far more often than those
 in the rest of the country, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis 
of Paxlovid use in September and October. But it wasn’t because people 
in the region were getting sick from COVID at much higher rates — 
instead, many of those states offered better <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/report.htm">access to health care</a> to begin with and created special programs to get Paxlovid to their residents.

About 10 mostly Democratic states and several large counties in the 
Northeast and elsewhere created free “test-to-treat” programs that allow
 their residents to get an immediate doctor visit and prescription for 
treatment after testing positive for COVID. In Massachusetts, more than 
20,000 residents have used the state’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/free-telehealth-for-covid-19-treatment-with-paxlovid">video and phone hotline</a>,
 which is available seven days a week in 13 languages. Massachusetts, 
which has the highest insurance rate in the country and relatively low 
travel times to pharmacies, had the second-highest Paxlovid usage rate 
among states this fall.

States with higher COVID death rates, like Florida and Kentucky, 
where residents must travel farther for health care and are more likely 
to be uninsured, used the drug less often. Without no-cost test-to-treat
 options, <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/article/test-to-treat-biden-covid-failing-patients-pharmacies-cvs/">residents have struggled</a> to get prescriptions even though the drug itself is still free.

“If you look at access to medications for people who are uninsured, I
 think that there’s no question that will widen those disparities,” 
Rosenthal said.

People who get insurance through their jobs could face high copays at
 the register, too, just as they do for insulin and other expensive or 
brand-name drugs.

Most private insurance companies will end up covering COVID 
therapeutics to some extent, said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor
 at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms. After 
all, the pills are cheaper than a hospital stay. But for most people who
 get insurance through their jobs, there are “really no rules at all,” 
she said. Some insurers could take months to add the drugs to their 
plans or decide not to pay for them.

And the additional cost means many people will go without the medication.

“We know from lots of research that when people face cost sharing for
 these drugs that they need to take, they will often forgo or cut back,”
 Corlette said.

One group doesn’t need to worry about sticker shock. Medicaid, the 
public insurance program for low-income adults and children, will cover 
the treatments in full until at least early 2024.

HHS officials could set aside any leftover taxpayer-funded medication
 for people who can’t afford to pay the full cost, but they haven’t 
shared any concrete plans to do so. The government purchased 20 million 
courses of Paxlovid and 3 million of Lagevrio. Fewer than a third have 
been used, and usage has fallen in recent months, according to KHN’s 
analysis of the data from HHS.

Sixty percent of the government’s supply of Evusheld is also still available, although the COVID prevention therapy is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-releases-important-information-about-risk-covid-19-due-certain-variants-not-neutralized-evusheld">less effective</a> against new strains of the virus. The health department in one state, <a target="_blank" href="https://files.constantcontact.com/8088728e101/558b11b0-e00f-47d7-8ec1-645904ec1905.pdf">New Mexico</a>, has recommended against using it.

HHS did not make officials available for an interview or answer written questions about the commercialization plans.

The government created a potential workaround when they moved 
bebtelovimab, another COVID treatment, to the private market this 
summer. It now retails for $2,100 per patient. The agency set aside the 
remaining 60,000 government-purchased doses that hospitals could use to 
treat uninsured patients in a convoluted <a target="_blank" href="https://aspr.hhs.gov/COVID-19/Therapeutics/Products/Bebtelovimab/Pages/default.aspx">dose-replacement process</a>. But it’s hard to tell how well that setup would work for Paxlovid: Bebtelovimab was already much less popular, and the FDA <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-announces-bebtelovimab-not-currently-authorized-any-us-region">halted its use</a> on Nov. 30 because it’s less effective against current strains of the virus.

Federal officials and insurance companies would have good reason to 
make sure patients can continue to afford covid drugs: They’re far 
cheaper than if patients land in the emergency room.

“The medications are so worthwhile,” said Madoff, the Massachusetts 
health official. “They’re not expensive in the grand scheme of health 
care costs.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.khn.org/about-us">KHN</a> 
(Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth 
journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and 
Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a> (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670875530434.png" alt="CDC image" />
 <figcaption>CDC image</figcaption>
 </figure>By HANNAH RECHT <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2022/12/12/paxlovid-has-been-free-now-comes-the-sticker-shock/">Kaiser Health News, courtesy Daily Montanan</a>Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of 
the federal government. The Pfizer pill has helped prevent many people 
infected with COVID-19 from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7148e2.htm">being hospitalized</a> or dying, and it may even <a target="_blank" href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.03.22281783v1">reduce the risk</a>
 of developing long COVID. But the government plans to stop footing the 
bill within months, and millions of people who are at the highest risk 
of severe illness and are least able to afford the drug — the uninsured 
and seniors — may have to pay the full price.And that means fewer people will get the potentially lifesaving treatments, experts said.“I think the numbers will go way down,” said Jill Rosenthal, director
 of public health policy at the Center for American Progress, a 
left-leaning think tank. A bill for several hundred dollars or more 
would lead many people to decide the medication isn’t worth the price, 
she said.In response to the unprecedented public health crisis caused by 
COVID, the federal government spent billions of dollars on developing 
new vaccines and treatments, to swift success: Less than a year after 
the pandemic was declared, medical workers got their first vaccines. But
 as many people have refused the shots and stopped wearing masks, the 
virus still rages and mutates. In 2022 alone, 250,000 Americans <a target="_blank" href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_totaldeaths_select_00">have died</a> from COVID, <a target="_blank" href="https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Monthly-Provisional-Counts-of-Deaths-by-Select-Cau/9dzk-mvmi/data">more than</a> from strokes or diabetes.But soon the Department of Health and Human Services will stop 
supplying COVID treatments, and pharmacies will purchase and bill for 
them the same way they do for antibiotic pills or asthma inhalers. 
Paxlovid is expected to hit the private market in mid-2023, according to
 HHS plans shared in an October meeting with state health officials and 
clinicians. Merck’s Lagevrio, a less-effective COVID treatment pill, and
 AstraZeneca’s Evusheld, a preventive therapy for the immunocompromised,
 are on track to be commercialized sooner, sometime in the winter.The U.S. government has so far purchased <a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/26/fact-sheet-biden-administration-increases-access-to-covid-19-treatments-and-boosts-patient-and-provider-awareness/">20 million courses</a>
 of Paxlovid, priced at about $530 each, a discount for buying in bulk 
that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called “really very attractive” to the 
federal government in a July earnings call. The drug will cost far more 
on the private market, although in a statement to KHN, Pfizer declined 
to share the planned price. The government will also stop paying for the
 company’s COVID vaccine next year — those shots will <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/article/pfizer-covid-cash-marketing-drugs/">quadruple in price</a>, from the discount rate the government pays of $30 to about $120.Bourla told investors in November that he expects the move will make 
Paxlovid and its COVID vaccine “a multibillion-dollars franchise.”Nearly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/11/28/covid-who-is-dying/">9 in 10 people</a> dying from the virus now are 65 or older. Yet federal law restricts Medicare Part D — the prescription drug program that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/medicare-beneficiaries-enrolled-in-part-d-coverage/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D">covers nearly 50 million seniors</a>
 — from covering the COVID treatment pills. The medications are meant 
for those most at risk of serious illness, including seniors.Paxlovid and the other treatments are currently available under an 
emergency use authorization from the FDA, a fast-track review used in 
extraordinary situations. Although Pfizer <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-announces-submission-new-drug-application-us-fda">applied for full approval</a>
 in June, the process can take anywhere from several months to years. 
And Medicare Part D can’t cover any medications without that full stamp 
of approval.Paying out-of-pocket would be “a substantial barrier” for seniors on 
Medicare — the very people who would benefit most from the drug, wrote <a target="_blank" href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1072f5093254224ac902ca395387085c/coverage-considerations-covid-19.pdf">federal health experts</a>.“From a public health perspective, and even from a health care 
capacity and cost perspective, it would just defy reason to not continue
 to make these drugs readily available,” said Dr. Larry Madoff, medical 
director of Massachusetts’ Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory 
Sciences. He’s hopeful that the federal health agency will find a way to
 set aside unused doses for seniors and people without insurance.In mid-November, the White House requested that Congress approve an 
additional $2.5 billion for COVID therapeutics and vaccines to make sure
 people can afford the medications when they’re no longer free. But 
there’s little hope it will be approved — the Senate <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-votes-to-end-covid-19-emergency-declaration-11668559887">voted that same day to end</a> the public health emergency and denied similar requests in recent months.Many Americans have already faced hurdles just <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/article/test-to-treat-biden-covid-failing-patients-pharmacies-cvs/">getting a prescription</a> for COVID treatment. Although the federal government <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/article/paxlovid-covid-pill-antiviral-access-data/">doesn’t track</a> who’s gotten the drug, a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7143a2.htm">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study</a>
 using data from 30 medical centers found that Black and Hispanic 
patients with COVID were much less likely to receive Paxlovid than white
 patients. (Hispanic people can be of any race or combination of races.)
 And when the government is no longer picking up the tab, experts 
predict that these gaps by race, income, and geography will widen.People in Northeastern states used the drug far more often than those
 in the rest of the country, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis 
of Paxlovid use in September and October. But it wasn’t because people 
in the region were getting sick from COVID at much higher rates — 
instead, many of those states offered better <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/report.htm">access to health care</a> to begin with and created special programs to get Paxlovid to their residents.About 10 mostly Democratic states and several large counties in the 
Northeast and elsewhere created free “test-to-treat” programs that allow
 their residents to get an immediate doctor visit and prescription for 
treatment after testing positive for COVID. In Massachusetts, more than 
20,000 residents have used the state’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/free-telehealth-for-covid-19-treatment-with-paxlovid">video and phone hotline</a>,
 which is available seven days a week in 13 languages. Massachusetts, 
which has the highest insurance rate in the country and relatively low 
travel times to pharmacies, had the second-highest Paxlovid usage rate 
among states this fall.States with higher COVID death rates, like Florida and Kentucky, 
where residents must travel farther for health care and are more likely 
to be uninsured, used the drug less often. Without no-cost test-to-treat
 options, <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/article/test-to-treat-biden-covid-failing-patients-pharmacies-cvs/">residents have struggled</a> to get prescriptions even though the drug itself is still free.“If you look at access to medications for people who are uninsured, I
 think that there’s no question that will widen those disparities,” 
Rosenthal said.People who get insurance through their jobs could face high copays at
 the register, too, just as they do for insulin and other expensive or 
brand-name drugs.Most private insurance companies will end up covering COVID 
therapeutics to some extent, said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor
 at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms. After 
all, the pills are cheaper than a hospital stay. But for most people who
 get insurance through their jobs, there are “really no rules at all,” 
she said. Some insurers could take months to add the drugs to their 
plans or decide not to pay for them.And the additional cost means many people will go without the medication.“We know from lots of research that when people face cost sharing for
 these drugs that they need to take, they will often forgo or cut back,”
 Corlette said.One group doesn’t need to worry about sticker shock. Medicaid, the 
public insurance program for low-income adults and children, will cover 
the treatments in full until at least early 2024.HHS officials could set aside any leftover taxpayer-funded medication
 for people who can’t afford to pay the full cost, but they haven’t 
shared any concrete plans to do so. The government purchased 20 million 
courses of Paxlovid and 3 million of Lagevrio. Fewer than a third have 
been used, and usage has fallen in recent months, according to KHN’s 
analysis of the data from HHS.Sixty percent of the government’s supply of Evusheld is also still available, although the COVID prevention therapy is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-releases-important-information-about-risk-covid-19-due-certain-variants-not-neutralized-evusheld">less effective</a> against new strains of the virus. The health department in one state, <a target="_blank" href="https://files.constantcontact.com/8088728e101/558b11b0-e00f-47d7-8ec1-645904ec1905.pdf">New Mexico</a>, has recommended against using it.HHS did not make officials available for an interview or answer written questions about the commercialization plans.The government created a potential workaround when they moved 
bebtelovimab, another COVID treatment, to the private market this 
summer. It now retails for $2,100 per patient. The agency set aside the 
remaining 60,000 government-purchased doses that hospitals could use to 
treat uninsured patients in a convoluted <a target="_blank" href="https://aspr.hhs.gov/COVID-19/Therapeutics/Products/Bebtelovimab/Pages/default.aspx">dose-replacement process</a>. But it’s hard to tell how well that setup would work for Paxlovid: Bebtelovimab was already much less popular, and the FDA <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-announces-bebtelovimab-not-currently-authorized-any-us-region">halted its use</a> on Nov. 30 because it’s less effective against current strains of the virus.Federal officials and insurance companies would have good reason to 
make sure patients can continue to afford covid drugs: They’re far 
cheaper than if patients land in the emergency room.“The medications are so worthwhile,” said Madoff, the Massachusetts 
health official. “They’re not expensive in the grand scheme of health 
care costs.”<a target="_blank" href="https://www.khn.org/about-us">KHN</a> 
(Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth 
journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and 
Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a> (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

COVID treatment Paxlovid has been free; now comes the sticker shock

TOPEKA —

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is undergoing a review of the COVID-19 Testing Programs implemented in schools across the state this past year. 

 They would like to hear from parents to understand how they can improve the programming and access across the state for the upcoming school year. 

All the information is confidential, and participation is voluntary. <a href="https://kdheks.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_25YgY8EcgEz12wS">Here is a link to the survey.</a> They want results by the end of April.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648237238183.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is undergoing a review of the COVID-19 Testing Programs implemented in schools across the state this past year. They would like to hear from parents to understand how they can improve the programming and access across the state for the upcoming school year. All the information is confidential, and participation is voluntary. <a href="https://kdheks.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_25YgY8EcgEz12wS">Here is a link to the survey.</a> They want results by the end of April.

KDHE doing parental survey on COVID testing

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on Thursday announced their continued efforts to shift to the next chapter of the COVID-19 response, pivoting from emergency pandemic response to endemic normalcy. 

On April 1, KDHE will make changes to continue the transition from emergency response to our ‘new normal,’ which includes life with COVID-19—similar to how we deal with other recurring diseases like the flu. Using the lessons learned over the past two years, KDHE will continue to ensure the State is prepared for potential surges or other needs that might arise in the future.

"Kansas is continuing the transition to a new phase of understanding and living with COVID-19,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“We know the pandemic is not over, however we now have the tools and knowledge obtained over the past two years to prevent or reduce the spread of the virus. We are normalizing our COVID-19 response and incorporating these lessons into our larger efforts at improving health outcomes for all Kansans, which includes work on multiple diseases and an awareness of differing risk factors.”

This decision comes as current COVID-19 metrics are moving in the right direction. Over the last two years, KDHE has made significant progress in keeping Kansas communities safe with the help of partners throughout the State: over 7 million tests have been given, over 4 million vaccines have been administered, and over 78% of eligible Kansans have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.

“In our new normal, we will continue to ensure that Kansans have equitable access to life-saving vaccines, tests, and treatments. This shift does not mean that COVID is over, but rather we are working to manage the disease in a way that allows us to maintain a more normal life that is once again filled with friends, families and other loved ones,”&nbsp;said KDHE Secretary Janet Stanek.

Working with Local Health Departments (LHDs) and stakeholders, KDHE’s endemic plan addresses six key areas that are designed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all Kansans:

Across each of the above areas, KDHE will remain prepared to ramp up capacity to quickly respond to a surge and keep Kansans safe should the need arise.

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on Thursday announced their continued efforts to shift to the next chapter of the COVID-19 response, pivoting from emergency pandemic response to endemic normalcy. On April 1, KDHE will make changes to continue the transition from emergency response to our ‘new normal,’ which includes life with COVID-19—similar to how we deal with other recurring diseases like the flu. Using the lessons learned over the past two years, KDHE will continue to ensure the State is prepared for potential surges or other needs that might arise in the future."Kansas is continuing the transition to a new phase of understanding and living with COVID-19,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“We know the pandemic is not over, however we now have the tools and knowledge obtained over the past two years to prevent or reduce the spread of the virus. We are normalizing our COVID-19 response and incorporating these lessons into our larger efforts at improving health outcomes for all Kansans, which includes work on multiple diseases and an awareness of differing risk factors.”This decision comes as current COVID-19 metrics are moving in the right direction. Over the last two years, KDHE has made significant progress in keeping Kansas communities safe with the help of partners throughout the State: over 7 million tests have been given, over 4 million vaccines have been administered, and over 78% of eligible Kansans have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.“In our new normal, we will continue to ensure that Kansans have equitable access to life-saving vaccines, tests, and treatments. This shift does not mean that COVID is over, but rather we are working to manage the disease in a way that allows us to maintain a more normal life that is once again filled with friends, families and other loved ones,”&nbsp;said KDHE Secretary Janet Stanek.Working with Local Health Departments (LHDs) and stakeholders, KDHE’s endemic plan addresses six key areas that are designed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all Kansans:<ul>
 <li>Intervention:&nbsp;KDHE will continue to provide comprehensive guidance, while continuing to offer additional assistance to underserved and/or vulnerable populations.</li><li>Vaccination:&nbsp;KDHE will focus on making sure vulnerable populations have access to the COVID-19 vaccine while existing vaccine providers, including health care providers, pharmacists, hospitals, and LHDs, will continue to serve the broader population.</li><li>Treatment:&nbsp;KDHE will continue to ensure Kansans will be able to receive COVID-19 treatment across the State, as treatment distribution shifts away from public health entities and back to local health care providers.</li><li>Testing:&nbsp;KDHE will continue to support access to free testing across the state through community testing sites, LHDs, and K-12 schools as long as federal funding is available. In addition, the federal government provides direct testing support to Federally Qualified Health Centers and pharmacies around the state. To find a free testing location near you, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAzMzEuNTU3NDY5ODEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy5rZGhla3MuZ292LzI4MC9DT1ZJRC0xOS1UZXN0aW5nIn0.GfHL9b4jMqHPXXa-raViSl3-9DLuVjAXv4mI1BPx2bo/s/1303160919/br/128948992477-l" target="_blank">knowbeforeyougoKS.com</a>. KDHE testing support for Long Term Care Facilities will be phased out&nbsp;on May 15, 2022,&nbsp;and testing support for employers&nbsp;ends on June 30, 2022.&nbsp;</li><li>Monitoring:&nbsp;KDHE will continue to monitor data as reported by organizations and facilities across the state to understand the status of COVID-19 and proactively identify at-risk groups. Public reporting will be reduced to once a week.</li><li>Communications:&nbsp;KDHE will continue to provide essential and accessible COVID information to keep Kansans safe and aware of any subsequent changes to COVID-19 response efforts.</li>
 </ul>Across each of the above areas, KDHE will remain prepared to ramp up capacity to quickly respond to a surge and keep Kansans safe should the need arise.

Gov.: Pandemic not over; Kan. moves to endemic phase of COVID response

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County Health Department announced Wednesday that it will administer second COVID-19 booster doses to certain individuals following the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).&nbsp;

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the second booster dose on Tuesday and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) offered its full support for the updated guidelines as well. The recommendation includes certain immunocompromised individuals and those over the age of 50 who received their initial booster dose at least four months ago. In addition, the CDC recommends those who received a primary and booster dose of Johnson and Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months ago receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Everyone 5 years of age and older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Those 12 and older may receive a booster. The Reno County Health Department is administering vaccines during normal operating hours. Walk-ins are accepted for ages 12 and over, but appointments are required for children aged 5-11. Call 620-694-2900 and select option 6 for scheduling. The vaccine is free to any Reno County resident, regardless of citizen status or insurance.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648672973984.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County Health Department announced Wednesday that it will administer second COVID-19 booster doses to certain individuals following the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).&nbsp;The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the second booster dose on Tuesday and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) offered its full support for the updated guidelines as well. The recommendation includes certain immunocompromised individuals and those over the age of 50 who received their initial booster dose at least four months ago. In addition, the CDC recommends those who received a primary and booster dose of Johnson and Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months ago receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.Everyone 5 years of age and older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Those 12 and older may receive a booster. The Reno County Health Department is administering vaccines during normal operating hours. Walk-ins are accepted for ages 12 and over, but appointments are required for children aged 5-11. Call 620-694-2900 and select option 6 for scheduling. The vaccine is free to any Reno County resident, regardless of citizen status or insurance.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

Reno Co. Health Department begins booster shot program

With coronavirus cases rising in parts of Europe and Asia, scientists worry that an extra-contagious version of the omicron variant may soon push cases up in the United States too.

Experts are also keeping their eyes on another mutant: a rare delta-omicron hybrid that they say doesn’t pose much of a threat right now but shows how wily the coronavirus can be.

The U.S. will likely see an uptick in cases caused by the omicron descendant BA.2 starting in the next few weeks, according to Dr. Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational Institute.

“It’s inevitable we will see a BA.2 wave here,” he said.

One reason? After about two months of falling COVID-19 cases, pandemic restrictions have been lifted across the U.S. Many people are taking off their masks and returning to indoor spaces like restaurants and theaters.

And the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions" target="_blank">the share caused by BA.2 is up significantly.</a>&nbsp;The CDC reported Tuesday that the variant accounted for about 35% of new infections last week. In the Northeast, it was about half.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, told ABC’s “This Week” over the weekend that he also thinks the U.S. will likely face an “uptick” similar to what’s happening in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, where BA.2 is the dominant strain. He said he doesn’t think it will be a “surge.”

The U.K. has “had the same situation as we’ve had now,” Fauci said. “They have BA.2. They have a relaxation of some restrictions such as indoor masking and there’s a waning of immunity” from vaccines and past infections.

Keri Althoff, a researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, cautioned that CDC case counts underestimate the true numbers because some people are no longer getting tested and others are testing at home and not reporting the results. Also, she said, not every specimen is genetically sequenced to determine the variant.

It’s clear, she said, “BA.2 is coming onto the scene.”

One reason the variant has gained ground, scientists say,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-world-health-organization-public-health-7e4cd2f5f6cd2ec87393b3cc9ce41c9c">is that it’s about 30% more contagious than the original omicron</a>. In rare cases, research shows it can sicken people even if they’ve already had an omicron infection — although it doesn’t seem to cause more severe disease.

Vaccines appear just as effective against both types of omicron, but breakthrough infections are possible. And experts point out that vaccination rates are lower in the U.S. than the U.K. About 74% of those 12 and older are fully vaccinated in the U.S, compared with 86% in the U.K.

”We need to emphasize that we’re not protected in this country compared to peer countries,” Topol said.

Still, not all experts are equally concerned about a BA.2-related rise in U.S. cases. Dr. James Musser, head of genomic medicine and infectious diseases at Houston Methodist, said the variant has so far only caused about 1% to 3% of cases in his medical system. Cases there have usually tracked closely with what’s happening in the U.K.

He called BA.2 “something we’re keeping an eye on,” but said, “I’m not losing sleep” over it.

That’s how many scientists view the other variant that some in the public are calling “deltacron,” a hybrid containing genetic information from both delta and omicron.

Earlier this month, Maria Van Kerkhove of the World Health Organization said the hybrid has been detected at “very low levels” in France, the Netherlands and Denmark. And two recent studies, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, point to a tiny number of cases in the U.S.

Much remains unknown about the hybrid. There’s no evidence it causes more severe disease, and it doesn’t look like it’s infecting many people. CDC researchers identified 9 samples, seven from the mid-Atlantic region in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.19.484981v1.full.pdf+html" target="_blank">study released Monday</a>&nbsp;that hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed. Topol, who was not involved in the research, said there’s no evidence it has the potential to spread.

It’s common for coronaviruses to shuffle gene segments, said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University. With two variants circulating at the same time, people may get double infections, and a “progeny virus” could emerge.

Given the virus’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-pandemics-dc99bc9f769dd6d7cb669e3d185c6261">ability to spawn new mutants</a>&nbsp;— and the rise of BA.2 — experts say people should get vaccinated if they’re not and keep their masks handy.

“Keep your guard up,” Topol said. “This is not over.”

By LAURA UNGAR, Associated PressWith coronavirus cases rising in parts of Europe and Asia, scientists worry that an extra-contagious version of the omicron variant may soon push cases up in the United States too.Experts are also keeping their eyes on another mutant: a rare delta-omicron hybrid that they say doesn’t pose much of a threat right now but shows how wily the coronavirus can be.The U.S. will likely see an uptick in cases caused by the omicron descendant BA.2 starting in the next few weeks, according to Dr. Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational Institute.“It’s inevitable we will see a BA.2 wave here,” he said.One reason? After about two months of falling COVID-19 cases, pandemic restrictions have been lifted across the U.S. Many people are taking off their masks and returning to indoor spaces like restaurants and theaters.And the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions" target="_blank">the share caused by BA.2 is up significantly.</a>&nbsp;The CDC reported Tuesday that the variant accounted for about 35% of new infections last week. In the Northeast, it was about half.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, told ABC’s “This Week” over the weekend that he also thinks the U.S. will likely face an “uptick” similar to what’s happening in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, where BA.2 is the dominant strain. He said he doesn’t think it will be a “surge.”The U.K. has “had the same situation as we’ve had now,” Fauci said. “They have BA.2. They have a relaxation of some restrictions such as indoor masking and there’s a waning of immunity” from vaccines and past infections.Keri Althoff, a researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, cautioned that CDC case counts underestimate the true numbers because some people are no longer getting tested and others are testing at home and not reporting the results. Also, she said, not every specimen is genetically sequenced to determine the variant.It’s clear, she said, “BA.2 is coming onto the scene.”One reason the variant has gained ground, scientists say,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-world-health-organization-public-health-7e4cd2f5f6cd2ec87393b3cc9ce41c9c">is that it’s about 30% more contagious than the original omicron</a>. In rare cases, research shows it can sicken people even if they’ve already had an omicron infection — although it doesn’t seem to cause more severe disease.Vaccines appear just as effective against both types of omicron, but breakthrough infections are possible. And experts point out that vaccination rates are lower in the U.S. than the U.K. About 74% of those 12 and older are fully vaccinated in the U.S, compared with 86% in the U.K.”We need to emphasize that we’re not protected in this country compared to peer countries,” Topol said.Still, not all experts are equally concerned about a BA.2-related rise in U.S. cases. Dr. James Musser, head of genomic medicine and infectious diseases at Houston Methodist, said the variant has so far only caused about 1% to 3% of cases in his medical system. Cases there have usually tracked closely with what’s happening in the U.K.He called BA.2 “something we’re keeping an eye on,” but said, “I’m not losing sleep” over it.That’s how many scientists view the other variant that some in the public are calling “deltacron,” a hybrid containing genetic information from both delta and omicron.Earlier this month, Maria Van Kerkhove of the World Health Organization said the hybrid has been detected at “very low levels” in France, the Netherlands and Denmark. And two recent studies, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, point to a tiny number of cases in the U.S.Much remains unknown about the hybrid. There’s no evidence it causes more severe disease, and it doesn’t look like it’s infecting many people. CDC researchers identified 9 samples, seven from the mid-Atlantic region in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.19.484981v1.full.pdf+html" target="_blank">study released Monday</a>&nbsp;that hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed. Topol, who was not involved in the research, said there’s no evidence it has the potential to spread.It’s common for coronaviruses to shuffle gene segments, said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University. With two variants circulating at the same time, people may get double infections, and a “progeny virus” could emerge.Given the virus’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-pandemics-dc99bc9f769dd6d7cb669e3d185c6261">ability to spawn new mutants</a>&nbsp;— and the rise of BA.2 — experts say people should get vaccinated if they’re not and keep their masks handy.“Keep your guard up,” Topol said. “This is not over.”___

Scientists worry virus variant may push up COVID cases in US

TOPEKA — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 513 to a total of 767,482, the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp; &nbsp;

The state reported 8 additional COVID-19 deaths for a total of 7983.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;

Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

TOPEKA — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 513 to a total of 767,482, the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp; &nbsp;The state reported 8 additional COVID-19 deaths for a total of 7983.<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

KDHE: Latest COVID-19 numbers in Kansas

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of active reported COVID cases in Reno County fell by 65 over the past 24 hours to 120.

The number is the lowest since August 3 of 2021, and down 1,377 cases from the start of the month. The number of new cases increased by 11 over the past 24 hours bringing the total number of new cases for the month to 719 and an overall total of 17,708 since the pandemic began. The county has been averaging about 10 new cases per day over the past 10 days

The number of county residents vaccinated did increase over the past several days to 33,990 or about 54.4%. The death toll from the virus is at 219.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642111232069.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of active reported COVID cases in Reno County fell by 65 over the past 24 hours to 120.The number is the lowest since August 3 of 2021, and down 1,377 cases from the start of the month. The number of new cases increased by 11 over the past 24 hours bringing the total number of new cases for the month to 719 and an overall total of 17,708 since the pandemic began. The county has been averaging about 10 new cases per day over the past 10 daysThe number of county residents vaccinated did increase over the past several days to 33,990 or about 54.4%. The death toll from the virus is at 219.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Reported active COVID cases the lowest since August of 2021

HUTCHINSON, Kan. The number of reported active COVID cases in Reno County has fallen below 200.

As of Monday morning, the active case count stands at 199, the lowest since November 3, 2021. The total number of cases did increase by 21 over the weekend but the active case count fell by 20. The number of deaths from COVID stayed at 219.

There are currently 18 county residents hospitalized. The vaccination rate has stayed the same over the past five days at 54.29% or 33,898.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642111232069.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. The number of reported active COVID cases in Reno County has fallen below 200.As of Monday morning, the active case count stands at 199, the lowest since November 3, 2021. The total number of cases did increase by 21 over the weekend but the active case count fell by 20. The number of deaths from COVID stayed at 219.There are currently 18 county residents hospitalized. The vaccination rate has stayed the same over the past five days at 54.29% or 33,898.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update&nbsp;&nbsp;

Active COVID case count continues to fall in Reno County

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of reported active COVID cases is at its lowest in more than three months.&nbsp;

According to the latest report from the Reno County Health Department the number of reported cases is at 219. The last time the active case count was that low was November 4th of 2021 when it was 217. The active count is down 1,278 from the first of the month.

Total case count increased by 23 in the past 24-hours to 17,641 and hospitalizations are also up in the past day to 20. The death toll in the county from the pandmeic is 219.

The vaccination rate for Reno County stands at 54.2% or 33,898 residents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642111232069.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of reported active COVID cases is at its lowest in more than three months.&nbsp;According to the latest report from the Reno County Health Department the number of reported cases is at 219. The last time the active case count was that low was November 4th of 2021 when it was 217. The active count is down 1,278 from the first of the month.Total case count increased by 23 in the past 24-hours to 17,641 and hospitalizations are also up in the past day to 20. The death toll in the county from the pandmeic is 219.The vaccination rate for Reno County stands at 54.2% or 33,898 residents.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Active COVID cases continue downward trend

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of reported active cases of COVID continues to fall rapidly in the area.

As of Thursday morning, the number of active cases is down to 388 which is a decline of more than 1,100 since the start of the month. The active cases fell by 54 since yesterday although the total number of cases did increase by 90 in the past day to 17,478.

The number of fatalities did increase by two to 217 and the vaccination rate climbed above 54% with 33,754 county residents vaccinated according to the Reno County Health Department.

Currently there are 17 county residents hospitalized.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642111232069.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of reported active cases of COVID continues to fall rapidly in the area.As of Thursday morning, the number of active cases is down to 388 which is a decline of more than 1,100 since the start of the month. The active cases fell by 54 since yesterday although the total number of cases did increase by 90 in the past day to 17,478.The number of fatalities did increase by two to 217 and the vaccination rate climbed above 54% with 33,754 county residents vaccinated according to the Reno County Health Department.Currently there are 17 county residents hospitalized.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Active COVID cases still falling

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The active case count for COVID in Reno County
has dropped slowly in the past week. After peaking at 1,342 active cases on Jan.
20 the case count is now at 1,112.

The overall case count has increased by 765 in the past week
bringing the total county population that has tested positive for COVID to 16,215
which is about 25% of the county’s population.

Vaccination numbers continue to inch upward slowly with
33,243 residents having been vaccinated. That’s about 53.24% of the county’s
residents.

The death toll now stands at 203 residents.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642111232069.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The active case count for COVID in Reno County
has dropped slowly in the past week. After peaking at 1,342 active cases on Jan.
20 the case count is now at 1,112.The overall case count has increased by 765 in the past week
bringing the total county population that has tested positive for COVID to 16,215
which is about 25% of the county’s population.Vaccination numbers continue to inch upward slowly with
33,243 residents having been vaccinated. That’s about 53.24% of the county’s
residents.The death toll now stands at 203 residents.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

Active COVID numbers falling slowly in Reno Co.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of active COVID cases
increased from Friday’s total. According to figures released Monday morning from
the Reno County Health Department, the number of active COVID cases is at 1,266, an increase
of 46. That’s still less that the latest peak of 1,342 on Jan. 20.

The total number of cases jumped by 405, from Friday to
16,055. Since the pandemic began 205 county residents have died from COVID. 

The vaccination rate did increase over the weekend with
53.24% of county residents vaccinated or 33,243 total.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642206694853.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of active COVID cases
increased from Friday’s total. According to figures released Monday morning from
the Reno County Health Department, the number of active COVID cases is at 1,266, an increase
of 46. That’s still less that the latest peak of 1,342 on Jan. 20.The total number of cases jumped by 405, from Friday to
16,055. Since the pandemic began 205 county residents have died from COVID. The vaccination rate did increase over the weekend with
53.24% of county residents vaccinated or 33,243 total.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Active COVID cases increase over the weekend

WASHINGTON (AP) —The fast-moving omicron variant may cause less severe disease on average, but COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are climbing and modelers forecast 50,000 to 300,000 more Americans could die by the time the wave subsides in mid-March.

The seven-day rolling average for daily new COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. has been trending upward since mid-November, reaching nearly 1,700 on Jan. 17 — still below the peak of 3,300 in January 2021. COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-pandemics-nursing-homes-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-31685a926b0ee4e97e1b314a52b1f41c">started rising slightly two weeks ago</a>, although still at a rate 10 times less than last year before most residents were vaccinated.

Despite signs omicron causes milder disease on average, the unprecedented level of infection spreading through the country, with cases still soaring in many states, means many vulnerable people will become severely sick. If the higher end of projections comes to pass, that would push total U.S. deaths from COVID-19 over 1 million by early spring.

“A lot of people are still going to die because of how transmissible omicron has been,” said University of South Florida epidemiologist Jason Salemi. “It unfortunately is going to get worse before it gets better.”

Morgues are starting to run out of space in Johnson County, Kansas, said Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of the health department. More than 30 residents have died in the county this year, the vast majority of them unvaccinated.

But the notion that a generally less severe variant could still take the lives of thousands of people has been difficult for health experts to convey. The math of it — that a small percentage of a very high number of infections can yield a very high number of deaths — is difficult to visualize.

“Overall, you’re going to see more sick people even if you as an individual have a lower chance of being sick,” said Katriona Shea of Pennsylvania State University, who co-leads a team that pulls together&nbsp;<a href="https://covid19scenariomodelinghub.org/" target="_blank">several pandemic models</a>&nbsp;and shares the combined projections with the White House.

The wave of deaths heading for the United States will crest in late January or early February, Shea said. In early February, weekly deaths could equal or exceed the delta peak, and possibly even surpass the previous U.S. peak in deaths last year.

Some unknown portion of these deaths are among people infected with the delta variant, but experts say omicron is also claiming lives.

“This is omicron driven,” Shea said of the coming wave of deaths. The combined models project 1.5 million Americans will be hospitalized and 191,000 will die from mid-December through mid-March. Taking into account the uncertainty in the models, U.S. deaths during the omicron wave could range from 58,000 to 305,000.

Yet, it’s become increasingly clear that the risk from omicron is lower than from previous variants. New evidence from nearly 70,000 patients in Southern California suggests omicron is causing milder illness than delta.

A study, posted online and cited during a recent White House briefing, found patients with omicron had a 53% lower risk of hospitalization with respiratory symptoms, a 74% lower risk of ICU admission, and a 91% lower risk of death. The study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, comes from researchers at Kaiser Permanente and University of California, Berkeley.

“It’s hard for me to say straight out it’s good news,” said study co-author Sara Y. Tartof, a Kaiser Permanente research scientist. “Maybe there’s good news in the sense that if you are infected your chance of becoming severely ill are decreased, but from a societal perspective it’s a very heavy burden for us. It remains a serious situation, and we need to maintain practices and behaviors we know protect us.”

Overburdened hospitals could also contribute to more deaths, said Marc Lipsitch of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and scientific director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s forecasting center.

“In places with extremely short staffing and overloads of patients, as the medical professionals have been telling us, the quality of care begins to suffer,” Lipsitch said. “That may also lead to higher death rates, but that’s not in any of the models that I’m aware of.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —The fast-moving omicron variant may cause less severe disease on average, but COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are climbing and modelers forecast 50,000 to 300,000 more Americans could die by the time the wave subsides in mid-March.The seven-day rolling average for daily new COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. has been trending upward since mid-November, reaching nearly 1,700 on Jan. 17 — still below the peak of 3,300 in January 2021. COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-pandemics-nursing-homes-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-31685a926b0ee4e97e1b314a52b1f41c">started rising slightly two weeks ago</a>, although still at a rate 10 times less than last year before most residents were vaccinated.Despite signs omicron causes milder disease on average, the unprecedented level of infection spreading through the country, with cases still soaring in many states, means many vulnerable people will become severely sick. If the higher end of projections comes to pass, that would push total U.S. deaths from COVID-19 over 1 million by early spring.“A lot of people are still going to die because of how transmissible omicron has been,” said University of South Florida epidemiologist Jason Salemi. “It unfortunately is going to get worse before it gets better.”Morgues are starting to run out of space in Johnson County, Kansas, said Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of the health department. More than 30 residents have died in the county this year, the vast majority of them unvaccinated.But the notion that a generally less severe variant could still take the lives of thousands of people has been difficult for health experts to convey. The math of it — that a small percentage of a very high number of infections can yield a very high number of deaths — is difficult to visualize.“Overall, you’re going to see more sick people even if you as an individual have a lower chance of being sick,” said Katriona Shea of Pennsylvania State University, who co-leads a team that pulls together&nbsp;<a href="https://covid19scenariomodelinghub.org/" target="_blank">several pandemic models</a>&nbsp;and shares the combined projections with the White House.The wave of deaths heading for the United States will crest in late January or early February, Shea said. In early February, weekly deaths could equal or exceed the delta peak, and possibly even surpass the previous U.S. peak in deaths last year.Some unknown portion of these deaths are among people infected with the delta variant, but experts say omicron is also claiming lives.“This is omicron driven,” Shea said of the coming wave of deaths. The combined models project 1.5 million Americans will be hospitalized and 191,000 will die from mid-December through mid-March. Taking into account the uncertainty in the models, U.S. deaths during the omicron wave could range from 58,000 to 305,000.Yet, it’s become increasingly clear that the risk from omicron is lower than from previous variants. New evidence from nearly 70,000 patients in Southern California suggests omicron is causing milder illness than delta.A study, posted online and cited during a recent White House briefing, found patients with omicron had a 53% lower risk of hospitalization with respiratory symptoms, a 74% lower risk of ICU admission, and a 91% lower risk of death. The study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, comes from researchers at Kaiser Permanente and University of California, Berkeley.“It’s hard for me to say straight out it’s good news,” said study co-author Sara Y. Tartof, a Kaiser Permanente research scientist. “Maybe there’s good news in the sense that if you are infected your chance of becoming severely ill are decreased, but from a societal perspective it’s a very heavy burden for us. It remains a serious situation, and we need to maintain practices and behaviors we know protect us.”Overburdened hospitals could also contribute to more deaths, said Marc Lipsitch of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and scientific director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s forecasting center.“In places with extremely short staffing and overloads of patients, as the medical professionals have been telling us, the quality of care begins to suffer,” Lipsitch said. “That may also lead to higher death rates, but that’s not in any of the models that I’m aware of.”___

Report: US faces wave of omicron deaths in coming weeks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the government will double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans, along with the most protective N95 masks, as he highlighted his efforts to “surge” resources to help the country weather the spike in coronavirus cases.

Biden also announced that starting next week 1,000 military medical personnel will begin deploying across the country to help overwhelmed medical facilities ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-b6d58e41b209dd67ed0954f28b542baf">staff shortages</a>&nbsp;due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-europe-london-england-eddf1657a9462547826881562b71f3b7">the highly transmissible omicron variant</a>.

Many facilities are struggling because their workers are in at-home quarantines due to the virus at the same time as a nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases. The new deployments will be on top of other federal medical personnel who have already been sent to states to help with acute shortages.

Speaking at the White House Thursday, Biden acknowledged that, “I know we’re all frustrated as we enter this new year” as virus cases reach new heights. But he insisted that it remains “a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people test positive for the virus, but Biden noted medical figures showing that people are far less likely to suffer serious illness and death if they’ve received a shot: “What happens after that could not be more different.”

Biden’s comments come as his administration’s focus is shifting to easing disruptions from the spike in cases that is also contributing to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/grocery-store-supply-chain-issues-166cc40b0ff095af9d0bf4041fa1b5fc">grocery shortages</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-travel-flight-cancellations-bed3b491ef8dfd778ac612e35add75fb">flight cancellations,&nbsp;</a>rather than preventing the transmission of the virus.

On Tuesday, Janet Woodcock, the acting head of the Food and Drug Administration, told Congress that the highly transmissible strain will infect “most people” and that the focus should turn to ensuring critical services can continue uninterrupted.

“I think it’s hard to process what’s actually happening right now, which is: Most people are going to get COVID, all right?” she said. “What we need to do is make sure the hospitals can still function — transportation, other essential services are not disrupted while this happens.”

Biden said that he is directing his team to double its procurement of rapid COVID-19 tests to be delivered for free to Americans through a forthcoming federal website, as he seeks to respond to criticism over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-science-travel-health-196255dcfe3e928b6f9f5779cd47be4e">shortages and long lines for tests</a>. The initial order was for 500 million tests, and now the federal government will purchase 1 billion at-home testing kits. Biden said the website will launch next week.

Biden also announced that for the first time his administration was planning to make high-quality N95 masks, which are most effective at preventing transmission of the virus, available for free. He said his administration would announce details next week.

The federal government has a stockpile of more than 750 million N95 masks, the White House said this week. And though research has shown those masks to be better protection, they are often more uncomfortable, and health officials are not altering their guidance to recommend against less-protective cloth masks.

The best mask “is the one that you will wear and the one you can keep on all day long, that you can tolerate in public indoor settings,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday.

Biden encouraged Americans to wear masks when indoors to slow the spread of the virus, even as he acknowledged they’re a “pain in the neck”

During Thursday’s remarks Biden was joined by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-biden-cabinet-lloyd-austin-john-cornyn-army-4d8848273e4e1fe6e4ad2dc8cee7313c">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>, who recently recovered from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-lloyd-austin-alejandro-mayorkas-d06d9606206265e8fae110cf7a549fd4">his own case of COVID-19</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-new-york-coronavirus-pandemic-emergency-management-49cff31bd6d423da5379523f99835eef">FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell</a>. They were hearing about the work of the more than 800 military personnel who have been helping civilian hospitals since Thanksgiving and the more than 14,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-new-hampshire-dover-7352b829ecb9ca54d89df03fa6fd9191">National Guard members</a>&nbsp;whose work supporting vaccinations, testing and caring for patients is being covered by the federal government.

The White House said the they spoke with federal personnel who are already on the ground in Arizona, Michigan and New York to hear about their experiences.

Biden also announced that six additional military medical teams will be deployed to Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island.

The White House said the teams will support Henry Ford Hospital just outside Detroit, University Hospital in Newark, the University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque, Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, Cleveland Clinic and Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the government will double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans, along with the most protective N95 masks, as he highlighted his efforts to “surge” resources to help the country weather the spike in coronavirus cases.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F627100008618297%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=17" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Biden also announced that starting next week 1,000 military medical personnel will begin deploying across the country to help overwhelmed medical facilities ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-b6d58e41b209dd67ed0954f28b542baf">staff shortages</a>&nbsp;due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-europe-london-england-eddf1657a9462547826881562b71f3b7">the highly transmissible omicron variant</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden just announced that our administration will purchase an additional 500 million COVID-19 at home tests, bringing the total number of tests that will be distributed for free to 1 billion. <a href="https://t.co/Ze8NSyKaf9">pic.twitter.com/Ze8NSyKaf9</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1481654833199259649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Many facilities are struggling because their workers are in at-home quarantines due to the virus at the same time as a nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases. The new deployments will be on top of other federal medical personnel who have already been sent to states to help with acute shortages.Speaking at the White House Thursday, Biden acknowledged that, “I know we’re all frustrated as we enter this new year” as virus cases reach new heights. But he insisted that it remains “a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people test positive for the virus, but Biden noted medical figures showing that people are far less likely to suffer serious illness and death if they’ve received a shot: “What happens after that could not be more different.”Biden’s comments come as his administration’s focus is shifting to easing disruptions from the spike in cases that is also contributing to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/grocery-store-supply-chain-issues-166cc40b0ff095af9d0bf4041fa1b5fc">grocery shortages</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-travel-flight-cancellations-bed3b491ef8dfd778ac612e35add75fb">flight cancellations,&nbsp;</a>rather than preventing the transmission of the virus.On Tuesday, Janet Woodcock, the acting head of the Food and Drug Administration, told Congress that the highly transmissible strain will infect “most people” and that the focus should turn to ensuring critical services can continue uninterrupted.“I think it’s hard to process what’s actually happening right now, which is: Most people are going to get COVID, all right?” she said. “What we need to do is make sure the hospitals can still function — transportation, other essential services are not disrupted while this happens.”Biden said that he is directing his team to double its procurement of rapid COVID-19 tests to be delivered for free to Americans through a forthcoming federal website, as he seeks to respond to criticism over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-science-travel-health-196255dcfe3e928b6f9f5779cd47be4e">shortages and long lines for tests</a>. The initial order was for 500 million tests, and now the federal government will purchase 1 billion at-home testing kits. Biden said the website will launch next week.Biden also announced that for the first time his administration was planning to make high-quality N95 masks, which are most effective at preventing transmission of the virus, available for free. He said his administration would announce details next week.The federal government has a stockpile of more than 750 million N95 masks, the White House said this week. And though research has shown those masks to be better protection, they are often more uncomfortable, and health officials are not altering their guidance to recommend against less-protective cloth masks.The best mask “is the one that you will wear and the one you can keep on all day long, that you can tolerate in public indoor settings,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday.Biden encouraged Americans to wear masks when indoors to slow the spread of the virus, even as he acknowledged they’re a “pain in the neck”During Thursday’s remarks Biden was joined by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-biden-cabinet-lloyd-austin-john-cornyn-army-4d8848273e4e1fe6e4ad2dc8cee7313c">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>, who recently recovered from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-lloyd-austin-alejandro-mayorkas-d06d9606206265e8fae110cf7a549fd4">his own case of COVID-19</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-new-york-coronavirus-pandemic-emergency-management-49cff31bd6d423da5379523f99835eef">FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell</a>. They were hearing about the work of the more than 800 military personnel who have been helping civilian hospitals since Thanksgiving and the more than 14,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-new-hampshire-dover-7352b829ecb9ca54d89df03fa6fd9191">National Guard members</a>&nbsp;whose work supporting vaccinations, testing and caring for patients is being covered by the federal government.The White House said the they spoke with federal personnel who are already on the ground in Arizona, Michigan and New York to hear about their experiences.Biden also announced that six additional military medical teams will be deployed to Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island.The White House said the teams will support Henry Ford Hospital just outside Detroit, University Hospital in Newark, the University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque, Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, Cleveland Clinic and Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

🎥 Biden now offering 1 billion free COVID tests to fight omicron

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of current active cases of COVID has jumped above 1,000 for the first time in over a year.

As of Thursday morning, the number of active cases stands at 1,016. The last time the active case count was that high was Dec. 3 of 2020 when the count was 1,130. The active case count has increased by 774 cases since Jan. 3.

The total number of cases for the county since the pandemic began increased by 1,331 since Jan. 3 to 14,448.

Eighteen county residents are hospitalized at this time and the death toll now stands at 193.

The vaccination rate did climb over the past couple of days to 52.9% or 33,083 county residents.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639341015562.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of current active cases of COVID has jumped above 1,000 for the first time in over a year.As of Thursday morning, the number of active cases stands at 1,016. The last time the active case count was that high was Dec. 3 of 2020 when the count was 1,130. The active case count has increased by 774 cases since Jan. 3.The total number of cases for the county since the pandemic began increased by 1,331 since Jan. 3 to 14,448.Eighteen county residents are hospitalized at this time and the death toll now stands at 193.The vaccination rate did climb over the past couple of days to 52.9% or 33,083 county residents.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update&nbsp;&nbsp;

Active COVID cases jump above 1,000 in Reno County

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of active COVID cases continues to climb quickly in Reno County.

In the past week, the number of active cases has jumped by 482 cases to 724. That’s the highest number of active cases since Dec. 14 of 2020. Currently, 18 Reno County residents are hospitalized.

The overall case count has increased by 846 in the past seven days to 13,963. The vaccination status remains unchanged at 52.7% or 32,944 county residents.

The death toll from the virus increased by two in the past week to 190.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639341015562.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of active COVID cases continues to climb quickly in Reno County.In the past week, the number of active cases has jumped by 482 cases to 724. That’s the highest number of active cases since Dec. 14 of 2020. Currently, 18 Reno County residents are hospitalized.The overall case count has increased by 846 in the past seven days to 13,963. The vaccination status remains unchanged at 52.7% or 32,944 county residents.The death toll from the virus increased by two in the past week to 190.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.

County active cases up above 700 for the first time in over a year

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of active COVID cases has now jumped by more than 220 since Monday.

According to the latest numbers released by the health department, the total number of active cases stands at 463. The overall number of cases has increased by 470 in the past three days.&nbsp;

Chuck Welch of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System says the patients they are seeing are mostly displaying the Delta variant.

“I will tell you that unfortunately what we are seeing right now is still the Delta variant,” Welch said. “We haven’t even begun to feel the Omicron yet.”&nbsp;

Welch says Hutchinson always lags behind the larger health centers and that Omicron is making its way through the state quickly.&nbsp;

“Luckily what we’re hearing is that it’s less severe from a disease etiology standpoint, but it is far more contagious,” Welch said.&nbsp;

The hospital has 19 COVID patients at this time with several on support of some type. Welch says the hospital is starting to get stretched thin with low staff and about 75 beds filled overall.&nbsp;

Vaccination numbers are going up slowly with 52.7% of Reno County Residents vaccinated, a total of 32,944 residents.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639341015562.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ROD ZOOKHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The number of active COVID cases has now jumped by more than 220 since Monday.According to the latest numbers released by the health department, the total number of active cases stands at 463. The overall number of cases has increased by 470 in the past three days.&nbsp;Chuck Welch of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System says the patients they are seeing are mostly displaying the Delta variant.“I will tell you that unfortunately what we are seeing right now is still the Delta variant,” Welch said. “We haven’t even begun to feel the Omicron yet.”&nbsp;Welch says Hutchinson always lags behind the larger health centers and that Omicron is making its way through the state quickly.&nbsp;“Luckily what we’re hearing is that it’s less severe from a disease etiology standpoint, but it is far more contagious,” Welch said.&nbsp;The hospital has 19 COVID patients at this time with several on support of some type. Welch says the hospital is starting to get stretched thin with low staff and about 75 beds filled overall.&nbsp;Vaccination numbers are going up slowly with 52.7% of Reno County Residents vaccinated, a total of 32,944 residents.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

COVID numbers jump by more than 400 in Reno Co. since Monday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — For the first time in just over three weeks the number of active COVID cases increased day over day.&nbsp;

As of Tuesday morning the number of active COVID cases jumped by 55 to 297. The last time the number of cases increased day over day was December 12. At that time the county had 654 active cases.

The total number of cases increased by more than 200 since Monday with 13,318 cases. It is the largest single day increase since the pandemic began.

Currently there are 18 county residents hospitalized. The death toll from the virus remains at 187.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639341015562.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — For the first time in just over three weeks the number of active COVID cases increased day over day.&nbsp;As of Tuesday morning the number of active COVID cases jumped by 55 to 297. The last time the number of cases increased day over day was December 12. At that time the county had 654 active cases.The total number of cases increased by more than 200 since Monday with 13,318 cases. It is the largest single day increase since the pandemic began.Currently there are 18 county residents hospitalized. The death toll from the virus remains at 187.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.

Reno Co. COVID cases jump by more than 200 in single day

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — While the area faces another surge in COVID cases, the number of active cases in Reno County is still falling.

As of Monday morning, the number of active cases stands at 242. That's down 36 cases from Dec. 30. The number of overall cases increased by 86 since Dec. 30 to 13,117.

There are currently 17 Reno County patients hospitalized and the number of people who have died from COVID in the county is now 187.

The vaccination rate in the county is at 52.5% or 32,808 residents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612955384439.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — While the area faces another surge in COVID cases, the number of active cases in Reno County is still falling.As of Monday morning, the number of active cases stands at 242. That's down 36 cases from Dec. 30. The number of overall cases increased by 86 since Dec. 30 to 13,117.There are currently 17 Reno County patients hospitalized and the number of people who have died from COVID in the county is now 187.The vaccination rate in the county is at 52.5% or 32,808 residents.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

COVID numbers still falling in Reno County

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas was much larger to end 2021 than on New Year's Day a year ago.

On January 1, 2021, the Kansas Department of Health reported an increase of 5,312 cases of COVID to a total of 227,745 statewide. Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,879 an increase of 138.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.

This year, due to the holiday, the KDHE released no new numbers on New Year's Eve Friday. On Wednesday, the state reported an increase of 7,083 COVID cases for a total of 519,544. The state reported 37 additional COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday for a total of 7,001 since the beginning of the pandemic.

As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection&nbsp;(e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas was much larger to end 2021 than on New Year's Day a year ago.On January 1, 2021, the Kansas Department of Health reported an increase of 5,312 cases of COVID to a total of 227,745 statewide. Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,879 an increase of 138.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609526207240.png" alt="Friday Jan. 1, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday Jan. 1, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.This year, due to the holiday, the KDHE released no new numbers on New Year's Eve Friday. On Wednesday, the state reported an increase of 7,083 COVID cases for a total of 519,544. The state reported 37 additional COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday for a total of 7,001 since the beginning of the pandemic.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640805043111.png" alt="Wednesday Dec. 29, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Dec. 29, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection&nbsp;(e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

KDHE: Comparing COVID numbers from New Year's Day 2021

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — With the Omicron virus providing the latest surge in COVID cases, the Reno County Health Department is watching the return of students into schools closely.&nbsp;

The Health Department says it will continue to work with schools to keep students in class and says schools have worked hard at just that.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589983765832.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — With the Omicron virus providing the latest surge in COVID cases, the Reno County Health Department is watching the return of students into schools closely.&nbsp;The Health Department says it will continue to work with schools to keep students in class and says schools have worked hard at just that.“The schools have done well and they’ve done what they can,” Health Department Director Karla Nichols said. “They’ve been adaptable . . . to where you have that balance. You want to protect those kids in school but you also want to keep the kids in school, so it’s a balance.”Nichols says the plan is to continue to leave action in dealing with the pandemic up to them with the Health Department's guidance.“The message continues to be the same, we haven’t changed that message at all to schools,” Nichols said. “How schools adapt or what they implement will be up to the schools.”&nbsp;So far during the year just two school buildings have been closed due to COVID out of the six Reno County school districts. Plans right now are to have all buildings open for class starting next week.&nbsp;Heading into the new year, the county has less than 300 active cases of COVID.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Coronavirus Update