Hays Daily News<\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen the health director opened the floor for questions, Commissioner Butch Schlyer stated his concern over the amount of COVID testing and surveillance.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if there is really a means to an end here, we\u2019re just testing,\u201d Schlyer said. \u201cWe\u2019re getting more numbers – the more numbers you get, the more people panic.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schlyer also stated the economic impact that the pandemic, and specifically testing, will have on the community as well as the country.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to mitigate this through surveillance, we\u2019re just counting numbers,\u201d Schlyer said. \u201cBut, while we\u2019re doing this, it\u2019s going to cost the county a lot of dollars, it\u2019s going to cost the state dollars, it\u2019s going to cost the federal government dollars. So we can have statistics for this.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schlyer then reaffirmed his stance on COVID masks and their supposed ineffectiveness on controlling the virus.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople can wear them – they may choose or they may believe they\u2019re safe with them – but essentially they\u2019re not,\u201d Schlyer said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before opening the floor back to the health director, Commissioner Schlyer stated the importance of a vaccine as well as individual decision making.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUntil we can get a safe, valid vaccine, this issue is just going to be with us,\u201d Schlyer said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s going to continue to grow, and I guess all I can really encourage people to do is choose where you go and what you do.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still does not recommend asymptomatic COVID testing. However, as explained by Kennedy, there may still be instances of such in situations that require contact tracing.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat you\u2019ve seen lately is we\u2019ve had to do a bunch of asymptomatic testing with long-term care facilities, following KDHE guidance,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cBecause of outbreaks, things like that, we have been testing way more asymptomatic people.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kennedy went on to explain one of the issues with asymptomatic testing:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe problem – and what people don\u2019t understand – with asymptomatic testing is it doesn\u2019t tell you anything about the person\u2019s status right now,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cYou can not be contagious any longer, you can be past your infection, you can be over it and still test positive really up to 90 days – it\u2019s usually closer to 30 to 60 days.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kennedy then assured the commission that, while gathering data is a priority, both he and the ECHD are more concerned about protecting the residents of Ellis County.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSome of these efforts, at the state level, are about gathering numbers,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cBut, I will tell you, at the local level, it\u2019s truly about doing what we can do to protect the citizens.\u201d
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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