The City-Cowley County Health Department has given its latest COVID-19 update. October cases to date are down by twenty percent (20%) when compared to the first 15 days of September 2021 (248 vs 297). The majority of new cases continue to be found in families with children and strongly suggest the spread is a result of the social interactions of students. The Delta variant has had a profound impact on the population under the age of 18. During 2020 the school aged population was largely spared infection, in 2021 that has not been the case. Since August 1, 2021 thirty-nine percent (39%) of new cases in the county (353/895) have occurred in persons aged 18 and under.