By JASON TILLER
Saline County Health Officer
Saline County saw 100 reported cases of COVID-19 in May. In June, just under 300 cases were reported. As of this writing, there have already been 130 reported cases thus far in July. It is important to keep in mind that this means the number of actual cases is probably much higher. While the vast majority of cases are being successfully handled at home, Salina Regional is beginning to see a small uptick in hospitalizations. And sadly, at least three people lost their lives to COVID last month.
Vaccines are free, safe, effective, and widely available. Staying up-to-date on your vaccinations provides a significant amount of protection. Those who are up-to-date are less likely to be hospitalized or succumb to the virus, if they do contract COVID-19. Unfortunately, no vaccine is 100 percent guaranteed to prevent COVID.
With that in mind, I urge all residents to stay vigilant. Stay home if you are sick- especially when it comes to COVID. Get tested. Free tests are available at the Health Department and Salina Family Health Care Center. You can also order them online at COVID.gov/tests.
I will be visiting with Dave Foor on KINA (910 AM and 107.5 FM) tomorrow (Saturday) morning to talk more in-depth about what's been going on with COVID in our county. I will continue to provide these updates on-air each quarter until our situation calls for something else.
COVID is not as visible now, to be sure, but it is not over. Now is not the time for complacency.
According to information from the Saline County Health Department, Saline County has moved from a low to medium COVID-19 community level. You can keep track of the county's level here.
