By KEN CARPENTER
Great Bend Post
GREAT BEND — A 7-month-old child in Barton County has been diagnosed with COVID-19. That’s according to Barton County Health Director Karen Winkelman who updated county commissioners about the virus at their weekly meeting Monday.
Winkelman told commissioners the number of new cases has increased in the county throughout the summer.
"For the month of June, 11 total cases were reported to us, Winkelman said. "In July, we had 101 total. In August, just halfway through August, we've had 88 already."
Of the 88 COVID cases reported so far this month, 11 of those are children under the age of 12, the youngest being 7 months old. The COVID vaccine has not yet been approved for children in that age group.
Thirteen of the 88 cases were diagnosed in people who have already been vaccinated. According to Winkelman, there may be an explanation for those breakthrough cases.
"The majority of them were vaccinated early, like when the vaccine first came out January, February," Winkelman explained. "As we know, vaccine can wane as does flu vaccine. Viruses change so that really isn't too surprising."
Winkelman also reported that a booster vaccine is recommended by the state health department for people who are moderately and severely immunocompromised and have already been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Johnson & Johnson has not yet released a booster shot for its vaccine.
Those additional Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available at the Health Department during regular business hours.