News
Sheridan COVID numbers, U.S. institutes travel bans due to “omicron” variant

Sheridan County added 13 lab confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total count to 4,386 lab confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
Another two probable cases have also been reported. That total now stands at 1,347.
Currently there are 127 active cases in the Sheridan County Community and 55 deaths of Sheridan County residents attributed to COVID-19.
The Associated Press reports South African scientists identified a new version of the coronavirus this week they say is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country’s most populated province. According to the report, it’s still unclear where the new variant actually arose, but it was first detected by scientists in South Africa and has now been seen in travelers to Belgium, Botswana, Hong Kong and Israel.
From just over 200 new confirmed cases per day in recent weeks, South Africa saw the number of new daily cases rocket to 2,465 on Thursday. Struggling to explain the sudden rise in cases, scientists studied virus samples from the outbreak and discovered the new variant.
In a statement on Friday, the World Health Organization designated it as a “variant of concern,” naming it “Omicron” after a letter in the Greek alphabet.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.′ top infectious diseases doctor, said American officials had arranged a call with their South African counterparts later on Friday to find out more details and said there was no indication the variant had yet arrived in the U.S.
According to the AP, in response, the United States and Canada joined the European Union and several other countries in instituting travel restrictions on visitors from southern Africa.
The White House said the U.S. will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region beginning Monday. It did not give immediate details except to say the restrictions will not apply to returning U.S. citizens or permanent residents, who will continue to be required to test negative before their travel.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists Sheridan County’s level of community transmission of COVID-19 as HIGH. Find more COVID-19 information at www.sheridancounty.com/covid-19/.

James Galloway
November 27, 2021 at 6:27 am
Omicron anagram moronic
Thomas Jones
November 27, 2021 at 9:11 am
The 4 people in Botswana where the Nu variant was first identified were fully vaccinated. Pesky facts that the US media seems to ignore.
James Galloway
November 29, 2021 at 7:46 am
The eight stages of a democracy go;
from bondage to spiritual faith;
from spiritual faith to great courage;
from courage to liberty;
from liberty to abundance;
from abundance to complacency;
from complacency to apathy;
from apathy to dependence;
and finally from dependence back to bondage.
History repeats itself.