The local evidence is clear. Those who are vaccinated against COVID are less likely to contract the disease, and those who do are less likely to develop a severe case which requires hospitalization.

Local statistics from Salina Regional Health Center and the Saline County Health Department indicate the following:

• Of new COVID cases in September 84.8 percent were unvaccinated.
• Of new COVID hospitalizations in September 80 percent were unvaccinated.
• Of Saline County resident COVID deaths in September 92 percent were unvaccinated.
• Of COVID deaths at Salina Regional Health Center in September 81 percent were unvaccinated.

According to the Saline County Health Department, during the month of September 645 new cases of COVID-19 were reported. Of those cases reported, 547 were unvaccinated, and 98 were vaccinated.

According to the Salina Regional Health Center, 61 people were admitted to the hospital for symptoms related to COVID-19. Of these, 49 patients were unvaccinated and 12 were vaccinated.

This information does not include people who were transported to other hospitals due to bed or staff shortages at Salina Regional Health Center. Typically, juvenile cases of COVID are referred to Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, or other children’s hospitals.

During the month of September, 13 residents of Saline County lost their lives to COVID-19. In the same month, Salina Regional Health Center reported 16 in-hospital deaths due to COVID-19.

In a hospital setting, the process of determining a person’s cause of death is fairly simple. Outside of the hospital, the Saline County Health Officer and County Coroner use all the facts available to determine if a death is due to COVID. The deceased whose deaths are due to accidents or other issues unrelated to COVID are tracked as positive cases for the purpose of contact tracing, but not included in death totals.

The Salina Regional Health Center reports all in-hospital deaths due to COVID, including those of people who lived outside of Saline County at the time of their death. While non-resident deaths are not reflected in the information released from the Saline County Health Department, it is important to note, resources at the hospital are impacted by every patient.

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE