COVID-19 variant detected in county

A case of delta variant COVID-19 has been detected in Marion County this week, one of 87 in the state with the virus.

“It’s not a surprising thing, delta variant is all around us,” county health nurse Wanda Manickam said. “We’ve been waiting for it to happen, pretty much.”

She declined to give age or gender information of the patient and said the Kansas Department of Health and Environment investigated the case.

One Marion County patient is hospitalized and nine are positive with the virus.

The Delta variant – one of four “variants of concern” that have evolved from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 – is more than twice as infectious as the original virus and as infectious as chickenpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Breakthrough infections of delta variant can occur in fully vaccinated people, but the virus’ effect is less severe.

All eight counties surrounding Marion have cases of delta variant, according to the KDHE.

About 37.3% percent of Marion County residents are fully vaccinated.

Kansas governor Laura Kelly released a public statement Friday urging residents to get vaccinated.

“While we hoped the summer would be the return to normal we have all been waiting for, serious COVID-19 cases are again on the rise and the delta variant is one of the primary drivers of COVID infections in our state.”

The county health department has free Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

A more detailed report will be in this week’s edition.