First confirmed case of omicron in Johnson County, Kansas

A Johnson County man tested positive for the omicron variant of COVID-19, the first such case in the county and the third in the Kansas City area this week.

Public health officials are investigating the man’s case and will contact anyone he may have come into contact with, the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment said Wednesday afternoon.

Investigators are still trying to determine whether the man, who is under 30, had received a vaccine or booster shots, but health officials have urged anyone who is not fully vaccinated or who has not. not yet received a reminder to obtain it as a highly contagious variant of omicron. is spreading across the region and the country.

“The best way to prevent serious illness, hospitalizations and death from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of the Johnson County Health Department. “Get your first, second or booster dose as soon as possible, to protect yourself and your loved ones. “

The man is the third person to test positive for the omicron variant in the Kansas City area this week after two residents of Wyandotte County – both fully vaccinated and aged 20 to 39 years – tested positive earlier this week.

No confirmed cases of omicron were reported in the Kansas City, Missouri area on Wednesday, but health officials confirmed the state’s first case of omicron in St. Louis earlier this month and have since detected the variant in sewage samples collected near Raytown and St. Joseph.

The omicron variant now accounts for 90% of new COVID cases in large swathes of the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday, and CDC data shows that omicron accounted for just over 30% of new cases in the four-state area of ​​Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa until the end of last week.

On Wednesday, December 22, the Kansas City metro added 786 new cases of COVID, bringing the total number of cases to 231,496 since the start of the pandemic. The metro recorded 2,238 deaths.

Johnson County’s announcement comes as new cases and metro hospitalizations peak since late summer, when the delta variant became the predominant strain of new COVID infections. Despite the wave and fears that vacation travel and gatherings may further fuel these increases, metro officials said they are not yet considering any new restrictions in light of the fast-spreading variant.

“JCDHE is not aware of any proposed community-wide mandates,” Areola said in a statement. “Relevant data and recommendations are constantly discussed with elected officials and policy makers so that they can make informed decisions. “

The Ministry of Health will continue to host vaccination clinics during the holidays, including its second vaccination clinic for children aged 5 to 11.

The children’s clinic will be held from 8 am to 11:30 am Tuesday at the Sunset Drive office building at 11811 S. Sunset Drive in Olathe.

Vaccinations for anyone 5 years of age and over are also available by appointment from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Mission clinic at 6000 Lamar avenue in Mission. Appointments can be made online at jocogov.org/coronavirus or by calling the community hotline at 913-715-2819.

This story was originally published 22 December 2021 5:32 pm.

Zach Murdock covers Johnson County for the Kansas City Star. He previously covered criminal justice for the Hartford Courant and local government in Florida and South Carolina. He was born and raised in Kansas City and graduated from the University of Missouri.