Garland County’s Covid-19 numbers are “leveling off,” but there is “no evidence that it is going away,” County Health Officer Dr. Gene Shelby wrote in his weekly update to the Hot Springs/Garland County Covid-19 Task Force.
There were 201 new cases reported for the week of July 24 – 31, compared to the previous weeks’ 156, 185 and 213. There was a slight increase in the number of active cases, from 301 to 305, as of Monday morning.
Representatives from CHI St. Vincent and National Park Medical Center reported having a total of 15 Covid-19 patients, with four in intensive care and two requiring ventilation.
There was one additional Covid-related death reported, bringing the county’s cumulative Covid death total to 519.
Shelby said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to urge everyone over the age of 50 to get their second booster. The CDC is not recommending it for those under the age of 50, except for those who have some compromise to their immune system. The CDC expects a new vaccine, which will be more specific to the omicron subvariants, to be available in late fall.
The Hot Springs/Garland County Covid-19 Task Force is only meeting as needed during the summer months, but Shelby provides his weekly Covid-19 update electronically to the group.