Staff writer
Although state data on new diagnoses is not available, county data show a more than doubling of active COVID-19 cases in the past week.
On Nov. 29, the health department reported 37 active cases. Three days later, it reported 83. As of Monday, it was reporting 88 active cases.
State data show only the number of positive PCR tests for COVID in the county. PCR is only one of the tests used.
The state reported 28 positive tests during the past week, including a peak of 10 positive tests Nov. 30 , the highest one-day total for positive PCR tests in more than a year.
Marion Elementary School and Peabody-Burns elementary school both are listed as COVID cluster sites in this week’s data.
Marion Elementary is listed as having nine cases within the last 14 days, with the last onset Nov. 20.
Peabody-Burns Elementary School is listed as having five cases within the last 14 days with the last onset Nov. 29.
As of Tuesday, no cases of omicron variant, a new COVID variant discovered in southern Africa and now detected in 19 states, have been identified in Kansas. Omicron has been detected in Missouri, Nebraska, and Colorado.