COVID update

“We find ourselves in the midst of record setting new case counts as the Omicron variant is asserting its dominance”, said Barton County Health Department Administrator Joel Dermott, who added, “We are also experiencing elevated levels of influenza, RSV and strep”.

Dermott noted that as illnesses take their toll, schools, businesses and services are all struggling with staffing shortages, stating, “In general, we are seeing more cases with shorter illness durations. Severity appears to be less than that of the Delta variant, but it is still too early to make that a definitive determination”.

The next few weeks should see the trends continue as sewershed data shows elevated levels throughout southwest Missouri. Dermott said, “In the meantime, a lot of work remains to be done, but better days are ahead”.

New cases exploded this past week with a total of 63 cases in Barton County. There are currently 60 active, 34 confirmed deaths, eight probable deaths and 1752 recovered, for a total number of 1854.