COVID cases see slight reduction

Wear high-quality masks and practice social distancing

[  By Katherine Nettles  ]

Last week Gunnison County saw a slight decline in COVID cases, but case counts are still high and county health officials say it is too early to tell if the Omicron variant is on a full downturn locally or if this is a temporary dip. For the seven-day period between January 9 and January 15, the county identified 302 confirmed cases through PCR tests. 

These totals represent a substantial reduction in confirmed cases from the week prior, which surged to a local record of 442. But the current numbers are the second highest locally in the duration of the COVID pandemic, and in the county’s weekly public health report officials warned it remains too early to tell whether this reduction is indicative of a broader trend. 

The recommended precautions to prevent the further spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant are to avoid large gatherings, wear a high-quality, tight-fitting mask consistently while indoors, monitor for symptoms, stay home/isolate when sick, and get vaccinated and then boosted within the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommended timeframe. According to the CDC, the most effective masks against Omicron are N95 or KN95 masks, followed by surgical/procedure masks, and then a multi-layered cloth mask. 

This week the community COVID-19 testing site hours have changed to Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 8 to 11 a.m. Appointments can be scheduled at my.primary.health/l/gvh.

The new South 14th Street testing site will remain the location of the community testing site for the foreseeable future, and if temperatures are below zero degrees Fahrenheit, there will be a delay in opening the test site.