Kansas on Friday reported an increase of 993 positive COVID-19 cases since Wednesday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s COVID-19 webpage.
There were two more deaths on Friday than on Wednesday, according to the KDHE. In all, there were 18,611 cumulative total cases in Kansas, with 284 cumulative total deaths.
In Wyandotte County, there were 2,798 total cumulative cases on Friday, up 38 from Thursday’s 2,760, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There was no increase in deaths from Thursday; the number remained the same at 87. The percent positivity, the rate of those who tested positive, was 15.7 percent.
Increases seen in counties
Johnson County went from 2,565 on Wednesday to 2,804 on Friday, an increase of 239 cases, according to KDHE figures.
Leavenworth County increased from 1,200 on Wednesday to 1,232 on Friday, an increase of 32 cases, KDHE reported.
Sedgwick County, the Wichita area, reported 2,074 cases, up 152 cases from 1,922 on Wednesday, according to KDHE.
Shawnee County, the Topeka area, reported 962 cases, up 84 from 878 on Wednesday, KDHE reported.
Confirmed case at Hutchison Correctional Facility
Today, the Kansas Department of Corrections announced that one staff member at Hutchison Correctional Facility has tested positive for COVID-19. According to the spokesman, it is the seventh KDOC facility with confirmed cases. The first cases were reported at Lansing Correctional Facility. The staff member is a man over the age of 20, according to the spokesman.
Mandatory mask wearing went into effect for staff on July 3, with mask wearing in effect for residents on July 6, according to the spokesman. According to KDOC, the living unit where the staff member worked will be quarantined in place for 14 days at least, and will be tested. Contact tracing was conducted to determine who had been in close contact. The other staff and residents will be monitored for symptoms, according to the spokesman. The facility houses 1,884 men in three buildings.
Sporting KC player tests positive
Sporting Kansas City reported Friday that one of its players has tested positive for COVID-19. The player tested positive on two consecutive days, according to a news release. Five days had elapsed since the club traveled to Orlando on July 5.
According to Sporting KC spokesman, all other persons in the club delegation have negative test results. The delegation now will test daily for a 14-day period.
Sporting will play Minnesota United FC at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, in the MLS is Back Tournament.
According to the league’s protocol, the individual who tested positive was relocated to an isolation area after evaluation by a telehealth physician. The player is being isolated in a room in a designated area of the hotel, under a strict and detailed protocol to minimize the risk of transmission, according to the spokesman. The individual is being monitored and tested daily while in isolation. Contact tracing is also taking place.
Before traveling to Florida, members of the club delegation underwent numerous PCR tests for COVID-19 to detect active COVID-19 infection. They also had a serology (antibody) test to detect the presence of antibodies in response to a past infection.
Hospital cases total about the same
There was a slight increase in the number of COVID-19 patients on Fridaymorning at the University of Kansas Health System. There were 22 COVID-19 patients, an increase of one from Thursday, with seven in the intensive care unit, down from nine on Thursday, and three on ventilators, the same as Thursday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the KU Health System. Dr. Hawkinson said there were discharges and new admissions.
Although it’s not yet certain, he thinks a COVID-19 vaccine will probably be an annual shot.
Dr. Jessica Kalender-Rich, member of the national Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes, said there will soon be a public forum for providing input.
Dr. Kalender-Rich said schools will have to get creative in finding solutions to reopening, including how to make school buses safer. They may have to consider half-full school buses and half-full classrooms.
Physical distancing, masks and washing hands will continue to be the key to reducing the spread of COVID-19, Dr. Kalender-Rich said.
Testing offered
Testing is offered at the UG Health Department parking lot, 6th and Ann, on Mondays through Fridays. New hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. The free tests are for those who live and work in Wyandotte County, and who have symptoms.
There are also pop-up tests available through the Health Equity Task Force.
More information is at wycokck.org/COVID-19 or call 311.
To view the KU doctors’ news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/298285474873505.
The governor’s executive order on masks is at https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20200702093130003.pdf.
The governor’s news release on the mask order is at https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-laura-kelly-signs-executive-order-mandating-masks-in-public-spaces/.
The Wyandotte County mask order is at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/06272020LocalHealthOfficerOrderRegardingMasks.pdf.
A news release on the Wyandotte County mask order is at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/06272020PressReleaseLHORequiresPublicToWearMasks.pdf.
Wyandotte County now has posted an application for nonprofits, government agencies, school districts and businesses in Wyandotte County that want to apply for CARES Act funding. The web address is https://us.openforms.com/Form/6273fe80-8bba-4c18-b4e7-e551096d8a83.
For information on how to make an easy no-sew mask, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/how-to-make-a-no-sew-cloth-mask/.
For more information about COVID-19 testing, including other sites, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. Residents also may call 3-1-1 for more information about testing.
The state’s COVID-19 test page is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/280/COVID-19-Testing.
Residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.
Wyandotte County is currently under Phase 3. See covid.ks.gov.
The state plan’s frequently asked questions page is at https://covid.ks.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reopening-FAQ_5.19.2020_Final.pdf.
The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.