Lyon County sees county’s first death from Delta variant

LYON COUNTY (KSNT) - On Wednesday, Lyon County Public Health was notified of the first known death in Lyon County from the Delta variant, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Little is known about the person except that he was an unvaccinated 60-year-old man.

This is one of 13 confirmed cases of the Delta variant in Lyon County according to a spokesperson for Lyon County Public Health.

“We would like to share our deepest condolences with the family who has lost their loved one,” said Dr. Ladun Oyenuga, Lyon County Health Officer

Only 41% of Lyon County residents are fully vaccinated.

“The Delta variant is an extremely contagious virus, and it can be a deadly infection in unvaccinated people,” said Dr. Oyenuga. “Nationwide, the people who need to come to the hospital, and those who are admitted into the ICU are almost exclusively unvaccinated people.”

Kansas health officials say 20 more Kansas deaths have been linked to COVID-19 in the past week. That is the biggest increase in deaths since early March. The state’s death toll is 5,218.