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Most of Kansas shows a high rate of COVID-19 transmission
Coronavirus breaking news

All but nine of Kansas’s 105 counties show a high rate of COVID-19 transmission, with 100 or more new cases weekly per 100,000 population, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports. Barton County and the counties surrounding it are in this category. For the week of Oct. 21-27, Barton County had 64 new cases, or 248 per 100,000 population.

The week's cases and rate per 100,000 people for other area counties for the same period:

• Ellsworth 13 - 213

• Pawnee 23 - 359

• Rice 15 -157

• Rush 5 - 165

• Russell 39 - 438

• Stafford 15 - 361


Monday update

KDHE reports that as of 9 a.m. Monday, there have been 435,933 COVID-19 cases to date, resulting in 14,899 hospitalizations and 6,422 statewide deaths. There were 1,287 new cases, 46 new hospitalizations and 7 new deaths reported since Friday, Oct. 29. This includes one new death in Rush County.

Here are the total cases for area counties as of 9 a.m. Monday, with the change since Friday, Oct. 27:

• Barton 3,945 (+24)

• Ellsworth 1,403 (+7)

• Pawnee 1,497 (+8)

• Rice 1,477 (+6)

• Rush 515 (+0)

• Russell 1,162 (+10)

• Stafford 610 (+2)

Here are the death totals for area counties as of 9 a.m. Monday.

• Barton 58 

• Ellsworth 29

• Pawnee 15

• Rice 15  

• Rush 16 (+1)

• Russell 33 

• Stafford 16


Hospitalizations as of Monday:

Barton County has reported 127 hospitalizations attributed to COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic, an increase of three since last Friday. This includes one new intensive care unit (ICU) admission, bringing the total to 27. Eighty-six discharged patients have been reported to KDHE, up from 85 total reported last Friday. The median age of Barton County patients admitted in October was 61.

Pawnee County has reported 63 hospital admissions, an increase of one, with 14 ICU admissions and 43 discharged patients to date (both unchanged). The median age of Pawnee County patients admitted in October was 50.

Stafford County has reported 25 hospitalizations, including 10 ICU admissions, and 17 discharged patients. The median age for October is 66. The numbers are unchanged from last Friday.


Vaccinations/rankings 

Barton County ranks 84th among the state’s 105 counties for the percentage of eligible population (12+) that is fully vaccinated (46%). The county’s overall ranking for vaccination rate, cases per 100,000 people and COVID-19 tests per 100,000 people is 71, where 1 is the lowest-risk county and 105 is the highest-risk county for the spread of COVID-19.

With 54% of its eligible people vaccinated, Pawnee County ranks 31st in vaccinations and 32nd overall.

In Stafford County, 49% of the eligible people are vaccinated, ranking the county at 66, and its overall rank is 60.