Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

🦠Weekly Update🦠 Douglas County emergency department (ED) visits for COVID, Flu, and RSV are at 0%, indicating very low clinical activity in our local healthcare settings. Wastewater surveillance in Lawrence, KS shows low levels of all three viruses, suggesting minimal community spread.

🦠Weekly Update🦠 Emergency department visits for COVID, Flu, and RSV are currently at 0%, indicating a notable decrease in severe respiratory illness in our community.
Wastewater surveillance continues to show a downward trend for all three viruses.

🦠Weekly Update🦠 COVID, Flu, and RSV ED visits in Douglas County have decreased to 0%, indicating a significant reduction in severe respiratory illness. Additionally, wastewater surveillance data for Lawrence, KS shows a continued downward trend in viral levels for all three pathogens.

🦠Weekly Update🦠 Wastewater levels for COVID, Flu, and RSV are all showing a continued decline as we approach the end of flu season. We will continue to provide these weekly respiratory illness reports until the end of May.

Getting ready for back-to-school season? We've got you covered!

Stop by for Walk-in Wednesdays and get your child’s back-to-school immunizations — no appointment needed.
📅 Every Wednesday through the end of April
📍 Visit our clinic or call us at 785-843-0721 with any questions.

When we vaccinate against measles, we protect:
✅ Our children
✅ Those who can't be vaccinated
✅ Our entire community

If you want to get vaccinated or don’t know if you are vaccinated, please call Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health at 785-843-0721 or contact your primary care provider.

Jonathan Smith, LDCPH Executive Director, joined both City and County Commissions as the week of April 7 was officially proclaimed National Public Health Week. 🏛️👏

This week, and every week, we’re proud to support the work of building healthier, more equitable communities. 💪

🦠Weekly Update🦠Douglas County emergency department (ED) visits for COVID and RSV have dropped to 0%, while flu-related ED visits remain at 1%. In Lawrence, KS, wastewater levels for all three viruses are declining.

Join us today at noon alongside Honor Moon to provide education about pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and menstruation. Sexual health doesn’t have to be complicated - let’s keep it real!

🦠Weekly Update🦠 COVID ED visits are at 0% for the first time since Nov. 2024, with steady medium wastewater levels. Flu ED visits are at 1%, down from Nov. 2024, with wastewater levels still trending down. RSV ED visits remain at 0%, and wastewater levels continue to decline.

Prevention is key to keep our community safe!

Two doses of the MMR vaccine provides 97% protection against infection. If you don’t know if you are vaccinated or have questions about measles call Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health at 785-843-0721 or contact your primary care provider.

🦠Weekly Update🦠 Covid-19 emergency department (ED) visits remain steady at 2%, flu ED visits have decreased to 3% and RSV ED visits have dropped to 0.

Public Health After Dark, an interactive community education event about violence in Douglas County will feature presentation by Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson. Dr. Watson-Thompson, Associate Vice Provost for Community Impact at the University of Kansas, is also a professor of Applied Behavioral Science and a researcher affiliated with the Center for Community Health and Development. She has examined the effects of community-based processes and behavioral-community interventions to promote change in communities.

We look forward to seeing you at Public Health After Dark next Thursday, March 27th from 6:00 - 7:30 PM at the Lawrence Public Library! We'll hear from a panel of Douglas County professionals including Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson. For more information and to register, visit the link in our bio.

🦠Weekly Update🦠 Emergency department visits for COVID, Flu, and RSV in Douglas County have seen slight increases, with COVID visits rising to 2%, Flu at 4%, and RSV at 1%. Click on the link in our bio for more information on Syndromic Surveillance and Wastewater Reports.

The event will feature presentations from Douglas County professionals including Dee Kinard, PhD, Informatics Manager at Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health. As the Informatics Manager at LDCPH, Dee is responsible for analyzing data to understand health disparities and trends, monitoring health and disease indicators, and collaborating with partners. She also plays a leading role in the Zero Suicide Initiative. Kinard will present on new, localized data on violence in Douglas County.

Join us on Thursday, March 27th from 6:00 - 7:30 PM at the Lawrence Public Library for Public Health After Dark! This is an interactive community event to help us understand more about violence in Douglas County.

For more information and to register, click on the link in our bio.

WIC is heading to Baldwin City tomorrow to help folks get connected to services closer to home. To schedule an appointment, call or text our WIC line at 785-856-5350 or fill out the WIC interest form by going to the link in our bio.

Weekly update: COVID and Flu ED visits remain steady, COVID ED visits at 2% and RSV ED visits at 1%. Flu ED visits have risen to 10% of ED visits, which is the highest percent of Flu ED visits in DGCO since 2022. COVID, Flu, and RSV wastewater levels in Lawrence, KS are trending down.

Are you over 65 years old? A 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine booster is now recommended for you! Our clinic has vaccine appointments available. Please contact 785-843-0721 or visit ldchealth.org/clinic to schedule an appointment or for inquires.

Curious about how to take care of yourself at home with a respiratory illness? Check out our tips:

Weekly Update: increase in all respiratory illness ED visits in Douglas County, with COVID up to 3%, Flu up to 7%, and RSV at 2% of ED visits. Additionally, all three are categorized as having high levels in wastewater. Flu and RSV have the highest recorded levels we have had in the wastewater.

Weekly update: COVID ED visits remain steady at 1%, with wastewater levels also stable at medium levels. Flu ED visits have risen to 6%, and flu wastewater levels are at their highest recorded levels. RSV ED visits remain at 1%, RSV wastewater levels have also reached their highest recorded levels.

White and orange photo with line graphs with different colors representing wastewater surveillance.

Weekly update: COVID and RSV ED visits remain steady at 1% for the week. Flu ED visits have risen to 5%. Additionally, though Flu and RSV wastewater levels remain steady, they are still categorized as high. COVID wastewater levels continue on a downward trend and are at medium. 👍

Curious how long you should stay home if you get sick with a respiratory illness? Check out the graphic below!

Weekly update: We saw a slight increase in Flu and RSV ED visits, Flu ED visits up to 3% and RSV ED visits at 2. COVID ED visits remain at 1%. Although ED visit rates for these illnesses remain relatively low, COVID, Flu, and RSV wastewater levels are still categorized as high.

COVID, Flu, and RSV ED visits remain steady, with Flu ED visits down to 2%, and COVID and RSV ED visits at 1%. However, COVID, Flu, and RSV wastewater levels are still categorized as high and we are in the middle of flu season, so precautions are still strongly recommended. #weeklyupdate

Weekly Update: Flu, COVID-19, and RSV have all decreased in Lawrence wastewater, however, they are still considered high at this time. 👎COVID-19 and Flu ED visits decreased this week, with COVID now at 1% and Flu at 3%. RSV ED visits remain steady.

It's weekly update time!

We're seeing a decrease in COVID cases in wastewater, but ED visits have risen to 2%. Flu visits remain at 6%, and cases are HIGH in wastewater. RSV is on the rise, with 1% of ED visits and HIGH levels in wastewater.

#fyi LDCPH's physical clinic and office will remain closed on Tuesday, January 7. We will still offer some services remotely. Please contact our office during normal office hours for assistance.

#fyi our physical clinic and offices will be closed on January 6, 2025 due to weather conditions. We will be able to offer some services remotely. Please contact us at 785-843-3060 during business hours for assistance.

Weekly Update: Both COVID and RSV visits are at 1%, and Flu ED visits have risen to 6%. COVID and Flu wastewater levels are now considered high. RSV wastewater levels remain low in Lawrence. We should have new data to report next week after the holidays.