[ad_1]
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Shawnee Co. has its first cases of COVID-19 variants.
Shawnee Co. health officials have identified three people with B.1.1.7. variant, also known as the UK variant of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Shawnee Co. health manager Dr Erin Locke told 13 NEWS that the Shawnee County Health Department (SCHD) was at the start of its investigation and said it was too early to say if the cases were linked.
Locke said SCHD was not surprised to see a variant case appear in the county.
“Here in Shawnee County, we braced ourselves for the news that we would have people infected with this variant, we didn’t know when, but we had an idea it was going to happen,” she said.
“Right now we are concerned that the variant is more prevalent in our county and state than we could relate to with current surveillance, so it is possible that they have just picked it up in the community and do not know where they were. actually infected. “
The identification comes a day after county commissioners gave individuals and organizations the choice to opt out of the county mask mandate.
Locke encourages residents to continue to follow security measures.
“We know that wearing the mask properly is one of our effective mitigation strategies to keep it from spreading in our community, so I strongly encourage to continue to wear masks at a social distance, not to enter. in large crowds, to wash their hands and especially to get the vaccine when it is available to us. “
However, Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla said the city faces its own challenges when rolling out vaccines.
“The challenge right now is that we don’t have enough vaccines for everyone, so everything we see in each capacity that how we vaccinate individuals is highly dependent on how many vaccines we receive and when we get them, ”she said Tuesday at her monthly press conference with City Manager Brent Trout.
She hopes all Topekans can receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June.
In the meantime, she asks residents to use their best judgment when it comes to wearing a mask.
“My encouragement to all of you in my request to all of you is to please wear your mask … if we are wrong we will have to start to see increases and you will see us having to potentially revisit how to keep people safe. I don’t want that, you don’t want us to want it to be the way it will be, it’s to keep taking care of each other until we have enough vaccines, ”he said. she declared.
“Until we have that threshold of people so that after July we throw this mace, we burn, we have a party and we just celebrate as a community the great work that we have all done in our community. .
Trout said the city is considering not requiring masks in city buildings around May 1.
Previous article published at 12:08
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Three cases of the UK variant of COVID-19 have been found in Shawnee Co.
The Shawnee County Health Department said three cases of the UK variant of the coronavirus have been found in Shawnee County. He said the cases were confirmed by whole genome sequencing done by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment labs. He said the cases were confirmed Tuesday morning and were the first to be found in the county and among more than 30 that have been discovered in Kansas.
According to SCHD, variant strains are mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. He said the CDC had classified the UK variant as a variant of concern because of its increased likelihood of serious illness and its increased level of transmission.
SCHD spokesman Craig Barnes said it was the first case of the variant in the county.
“With the confirmation of variant B.1.1.7 in Shawnee County and the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Shawnee County and across the country, it is important that we continue as a community to do what we can to limit the spread. virus, ”said Dr Erin Locke, Shawnee County health worker. “It’s important not to get complacent; We continue to promote proper face masks and encourage all eligible Shawnee County residents to get vaccinated when possible. “
SCHD said it is urging residents to continue to wear masks, socially distance themselves and wash their hands to limit the spread of COVID-19.
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2021 WIBW. All rights reserved.
[ad_2]
Source link