Category: COVID-19

Kansas reports sixth COVID-19 case

The sixth Kansas COVID-19 case has been reported in Butler County, Kansas, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

A man in his 70s who had traveled outside the United States is a presumptive positive case, with testing sent to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Kansas Health and Environmental Laboratories, according to a KDHE spokesman. The man is now in isolation.

The results will be verified by the CDC lab but will be treated as positive unless determined otherwise, according to the spokesman.

Butler County is adjacent to Sedgwick County. Sedgwick County includes the Wichita area.

KDHE will continue to work with the local health department and CDC to identify and contact people who may have come into contact with the individual while he was infectious, and will monitor those persons for fever and respiratory symptoms, the spokesman stated.

“Kansans should remain vigilant,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE secretary said, in a news release. “It’s important to live your lives, but it’s also important to take basic precautions like exercising good hygiene practices. It is up to each of us to do our part.”

People should exercise vigilance when attending large public gatherings, particularly those people over age 60 and those with weakened immune systems or chronic medical conditions. There are mass events guidance documents from the Centers from Disease Control available on KDHE’s website, www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus.

If you have symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath and believe you may have had contact or have had contact with someone with a laboratory confirmed case of COVID-19, stay home and call your healthcare provider, the KDHE spokesman stated.

You may also call the KDHE phone bank at 1-866-534-3463 (1-866-KDHEINF) today Monday – Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information about COVID-19, visit KDHE’s website and Frequently Asked Questions at www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus and www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

COVID-19 death reported in Wyandotte County

A COVID-19 coronavirus death has been reported in Wyandotte County, according to Gov. Laura Kelly, who spoke at a live-streamed news conference on Thursday in Topeka.

The victim, in his 70s, was a resident of an 80-bed skilled nursing home, according to officials, and was taken on Tuesday to Providence Medical Center, where he died Wednesday morning. He had other underlying medical conditions and was receiving care for them at the hospital, according to officials.

The patient was not tested for coronavirus until after he died, according to officials. He was in the hospital only a relatively short time, officials stated.

Mayor David Alvey, at the news conference, said, “We are terribly saddened to learn that one of our own has passed away.”

He said the UG Health Department will continue to conduct a contact investigation of the patient’s steps so they can identify anyone who has been exposed to the virus.

Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said others in the nursing home will be tested. He did not identify the name of the nursing home.

Gov. Kelly has declared a state of emergency in Kansas. It will open the Kansas response plan to bring in emergency response functions, according to officials, to coordinate and synchronize resources across the state.

State officials are planning to restrict visitations at nursing homes.

The case today was the fifth confirmed coronavirus case in Kansas and the first death in Kansas.

More information about COVID-19 is at the KDHE website at http://www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus/index.htm.

The Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html.

The UG website on coronavirus is at www.wycokck.org/coronavirus.

Rep. Davids to hold community call tonight on COVID-19

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., is planning a community call tonight on COVID-19.

In an effort to keep Kansans up to date, Rep. Davids is holding a community college tonight with health offices, Rep. Davids stated in a news release. “We will provide an update on the status of COVID-19 in our community and measures being taken in Kansas to contain the spread of the disease, and answer any questions listeners may have. For community members who cannot make the call, my office has a web page dedicated to up to date coronavirus information, which is available at Davids.House.Gov/coronavirus.”

The community call is at https://davids.house.gov/live.

Rep. Davids also discussed the three new COVID-19 cases in Johnson County:

“The safety of Kansans has always been, and will continue to be, my top priority,” she stated. “My office has been in close contact with local and state public health officials, who are working around the clock to contain these cases and any others that may occur. We are committed to doing everything we can to keep our community safe, prepared and informed. Everyone has a role to play in reducing the spread of this virus in our community, including practicing preventative measures like covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, staying home when you are sick, and avoiding touching your face.”