Barton County’s COVID rank improved slightly on Friday, rising to 97th out of 105 Kansas counties. Barton County started the week in 101st place and rose to 98th place on Wednesday.

Rankings from three measures are summed for a total score, which is converted into a single ranking. The lowest-risk county has the No. 1 ranking and the highest-risk county has the 105 ranking. Barton County was the highest-risk county in central Kansas.

The three scores are:

• Vaccination rate - The percent of eligible population (age 12+ years) fully vaccinated. Barton County ranks 85th with 43% vaccinated.

• Average number of COVID cases - The seven-day average daily cases per 100,000 people. Barton County ranks 89th with 60 cases.

• Average number of COVID tests given - The seven-day average daily tests per 100,000 people. Barton County ranks 53rd with 433 tests.

Pawnee County’s rank was 44th:

• Vaccination rate was 52%, ranking 26th

• COVID cases were 65, ranking 93rd

• COVID tests were 572, ranking 33rd

As of 9 a.m. Friday, there have been 404,459 COVID-19 cases in Kansas, resulting in 13,660 hospitalizations and 5,981 statewide deaths.  There was 2,528 new cases, 113 new hospitalizations and 62 new deaths reported since Wednesday, Sept. 22.

One of the new deaths was in Barton County, one was in Russell County and one was in Stafford County.

Here are KDHE’s totals to date of positive and probable cases for area counties, followed by any change since Wednesday, Sept. 22, as of 9 a.m. Friday:

• Barton 3,421 (+32)

• Ellsworth 1,330 (+6)

• Pawnee 1,283 (+16)

• Rice 1,332 (+20)

• Rush 486 (+1)

• Russell 1,004 (+5)

• Stafford 512 (+10)

Here are the death totals for area counties:

• Barton 54 (+1 since Wednesday)

• Ellsworth 28

• Pawnee 15

• Rice 15

• Rush 15

• Russell 32 (+1)

• Stafford 14 (+1)

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced Friday that Kansas will adopt the CDC’s Booster Recommendations and has authorized all COVID-19 vaccine providers to begin administering Pfizer booster shots to all eligible Kansans.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is free, safe, effective, and it is our best tool to beat this virus,” Governor Kelly said. “Today’s announcement from the CDC will provide additional protection to the most vulnerable Kansans and our frontline health-care workers. But our work to defeat this pandemic is not done. The best way for us to get out of this pandemic is to work together to ensure our friends, neighbors, and communities are all vaccinated against COVID-19.”

After thorough review, the CDC now recommends the Pfizer booster shot for the following Kansans whom have completed their primary Pfizer series:

• People aged 65 years and older, regardless of a medical condition, should receive a Pfizer booster shot

• Residents in long-term care settings should receive a Pfizer booster shot   

• People aged 50-64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a Pfizer booster shot

• People aged 18-49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a Pfizer booster shot

• People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a Pfizer booster shot, based on their individual benefits and risks.

The vaccine booster dose only applies to individuals who completed the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine series at least six months ago. Eligibility for a booster dose based on an underlying medical condition will only require self-attestation – a prescription or assessment from a health-care provider is not required.

The COVID-19 vaccine is the most direct path to ending this pandemic, state health officials stated. To find a COVID-19 vaccine clinic visit Vaccines.gov.