By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
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.
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.”
Welch says Hutchinson always lags behind the larger health centers and that Omicron is making its way through the state quickly.
“Luckily what we’re hearing is that it’s less severe from a disease etiology standpoint, but it is far more contagious,” Welch said.
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.
Vaccination numbers are going up slowly with 52.7% of Reno County Residents vaccinated, a total of 32,944 residents.
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