The first COVID-19 update of the new year from the Imperial County Public Health Department shows that the number of active COVID-19 cases in the county nearly doubled in the past week.

As of the Tuesday morning numbers there are now 1,264 active cases of the virus in the county. The information from December 28, 2021 showed 729 active cases. While active cases doubled the number of deaths attributed to the virus increased just 1, to 799. There are 29 COVID positive patients in Intensive Care and 42 individuals on ventilators. 

Vaccinations for the COVID-19 coronavirus are available through local healthcare providers as well at several clinics hosted by both local hospitals. Free testing is also available through the OptumServ facilities in El Centro, Brawley and Calexico. A number of local healthcare providers also have testing available. So far nearly 354,000 doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered in Imperial County. 

So far, the Omicron variant of the virus has not been identified in Imperial County and the Delta variant remains the dominant strain.