Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Percent positive rate on the decline last week

POLK COUNTY—Polk County’s COVID-19 cases were up slightly last week from the week prior but much less than recent weeks. 

The Polk County Health and Human Services released its weekly COVID-19 update on Friday with another 31 cases reported last week and a 6.1 percent positive rate. 

The county has now had 2,246 positive cases since March 2020. 

Last week’s case count of 31 new cases compares to the prior week of just 24 cases, according to the DHHS. The week prior’s percent positive rate was 13.9 percent. The county has recently seen as many as 101 cases in one week, which was the highest since the pandemic began last year. 

The county’s percent of its population that is vaccinated remained at 43 percent. 

Of the total cases, 43 people have died and 89 people have now been hospitalized from the virus. 

As of Friday, 9,411 Polk County residents had at least 1 dose of the vaccine and 8,893 Polk County residents are fully vaccinated. 

Polk County’s positive cases overall have been mostly in females at 53.47 percent last week. 

The most cases have been in people age 25-49, followed by people age 50-64. The county now has as many cases in people age 0-17 as people age 65-74. The least cases have been in people age 75 and above and 18-24. 

Vaccines are free for anyone and are now being administered to everyone age 12 and older in North Carolina. 

Booster shots are now also available to many qualified people. 

To schedule an appointment with the county people can call the Polk County COVID message line at 828-722-5086. More information is also available on a special COVID-19 tab located at polknc.org. 

Local pharmacies are also now giving vaccines for the virus as well as for flu and pneumonia.