Last week, the Adair County COVID-19 positivity rate spiked up to 23.5 percent, prompting concerns of outbreaks or variants appearing in the area.

According to Amy Smith, the Adair County Health System Marketing and Foundation Manager, they were able to track down the factors that caused the spike quickly and expect the numbers to return to normal soon.

“We’re seeing a downward trend in the number of people being tested overall. Our curbside testing has not been as busy as it was earlier on. We attribute some of this to the fact that people have been following COVID prevention guidelines and the data shows this too. A few weeks ago, our 14-day positive rate was around 8 percent. We believe that the overall decrease in the amount of testing combined with an increased number of cases at a long-term care facility in the county together have driven that 14-day rate up.”

Even with the elevated rate of COVID in the county last week, Smith recommends that an individual exposed to someone with the virus and showing symptoms get tested to protect themselves and their loved ones.