The wastewater in Wyandotte and Johnson counties is being tested for COVID-19, according to Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health.
Samples are collected from wastewater here and tested weekly, according to Dr. Norman.
He said it could serve as an early warning sign, often before an outbreak in the community. It could give them a seven-day start on cases.
Work began last week on the wastewater collection, he said, which is an important adjunct for detecting early outbreaks but not a silver bullet for COVID-19. It provides an additional piece of data to fight against COVID-19, he said. Funding has been through the Patterson Family Foundation.
In April the Kansas Department of Health and Environment contracted with the University of Kansas College of Engineering to evaluate wastewater surveillance for COVID-19, Dr. Norman said.
Since then the wastewater detection method has been used in Hiawatha, Kansas, he added. There were no known cases in Brown County but the wastewater indicated a more extensive presence of COVID-19 in the community than previously thought. Health officials were able to do increased messaging about remaining vigilant, wearing masks and distancing, he said.
Dr. Norman encouraged people to get a flu shot by Oct. 31, which will help keep the number of hospitalizations down.
“Our hospital resources are going to be strained this fall and winter,” he said. “We must do everything we can do to prevent people from getting sick with the flu, which is preventable.”
Flu shots are about 70 percent effective, he added. In his experience, he said a person who gets a flu shot may sometimes get the flu, but he hasn’t seen a death from it.
He reported an increase of 1,244 COVID-19 cases and 17 additional deaths since Monday in Kansas.
On Tuesday, COVID-19 hospital admissions were the highest since the beginning of the pandemic, with 81 in one day, he said. It was the highest number of COVID-19 inpatients the state has ever had, he said.
According to White House figures, Kansas is in the red zone for new cases, and is 12th highest per capita, he said.
For percent positivity rate, the state is in the yellow zone; for tests per person, it is in the green zone; and for deaths, Kansas is in the red zone this week, he said.
Wyandotte County reported an additional 56 cases on Wednesday, for a cumulative total of 7,290, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported, for a cumulative total of 134.
Testing continues
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at Vibrant Health Argentine location, 1428 S. 32nd, Kansas City, Kansas.
The pop-up tests are through the Health Equity Task Force and Vibrant Health.
Free tests also are at the UG Health Department parking lot, 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. They are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is needed.
The tests are for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. Participants should bring something that shows their address or their work place, such as a piece of mail or a work badge.
The pop-up tests and the Health Department tests now open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. People now can be tested without any symptoms. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule because of the weather or for other reasons.
More information about testing is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
The KDHE’s news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/KDHEnews/videos/346905849722977.
The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.