The Sedgwick County Health Department is reporting 1,247 new cases of COVID-19 this week, which doubles the number of new cases reported during the last week in June.

Health Department Director Adrienne Byrne provided an update to county commissioners during a staff meeting Tuesday.   She said the county has conducted 3,736 tests as of this week, with a 17 percent rate of positive cases.  Byrne said there are a number of home tests and the county has no information on the rate of positive cases from home testing.

Byrne said the county will continue to educate the public on COVID-19 and the need to be vaccinated.  The county will continue to provide mobile vaccination clinics through the end of the year.   Vaccinations are still provided at the Health Department location at 2716 West Central.    There will be special vaccine clinics for school age children.

There are concerns about the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the virus.   Byrne said natural immunity and the current vaccine are doing what they need to do.   Manufacturers are working on a new vaccine to protect against the subvariants, and that is expected to be available in the fall.

Byrne said the Health Department is transitioning to disease investigation and monitoring similar to what is now done with the flu each year, and community recovery meetings are being organized.    The county’s lease on a location at 4115 East Harry will expire in August, and the Health Department will be moving out of that building.   Testing was done at that location at one time, but it’s now being used for disease investigation and data entry.    She said there are no plans to lease extra space or use temporary agency staffing for COVID-19 in 2023 and 2024.