The Sedgwick County Commission discussed the ever-increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
Commissioner Lacey Cruse said while there is no appetite for mandates, she urged commissioners to have a conversation about the rising rates within the community.
The positivity rate has jumped to 20.1 percent, the highest it has been since mid-November 2020, when the rate was 20.2 percent.
Commissioners learned that the WSU Molecular Diagnostics lab processed six thousand COVID tests on Tuesday. Because of the high number of samples processed and staff shortages, the lab has suspended its COVID test collection service for the time being. The community collection testing partner drop-off is still open.
Commissioners stressed the importance of vaccinations to help hospitals with the ongoing surge of COVID patients. Commissioner Pete Meitzner said 90 percent of the patients in the hospitals are unvaccinated.
Also at Wednesday's meeting, the commission chose new leadership.
Each January, the board selects a Chair and Chair Pro-Tem to lead the commission through the year. The new Chair of the board is David Dennis. After unanimously winning the Chair’s seat, he nominated Sarah Lopez for the role of Chair Pro-Tem, where she won by a 3-2 vote over Commissioner Jim Howell.