Leaders with the Unified Government serving Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, unveiled a new online tool that will allow residents to self-report suspected cases of COVID-19.
“One of the most effective ways we can identify and slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community is through better testing and tracking,” Mayor David Alvey said in a news release. “This is the first tool of its kind in the Kansas City metropolitan region. It allows our residents to help us identify and locate people who may be exhibiting signs of COVID-19, so they can be tested and get the medical attention they need. It’s a much-needed way for us to track locations and symptoms and, ultimately, the extent of the spread of COVID-19 in Wyandotte County.”
The self-reporting tool, which is available in either English or Spanish-language versions, is available online at https://www.wycokck.org/COVID-19, a UG spokesman said.
When website visitors click on the link they enter an online form that takes their name and begins a simple quiz to help identify if the person is showing the symptoms associated with COVID-19 (fever in excess of 100.4° F, dry cough, shortness of breath). It does this by asking a series of simple questions, according to the UG spokesman.
Then the information is saved and sent to the Unified Government Public Health Department. People who need follow-up will be contacted by the Health Department directly, according to the spokesman.
“One of the biggest challenges we face in attempting to slow the spread of COVID-19 is locating people who may be exhibiting symptoms of the disease,” Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer with the Unified Government, said. “Through this new tool, the public can play an extremely important role by self-reporting if they feel they may be suffering from the symptoms of COVID-19. This is important in two ways – first, it helps us identify people showing the symptoms of COVID-19 and where necessary, test them. Second, this tool will help us capture critically important data about COVID-19 and where it’s spreading.”
Gathering data is an important point, according to Greiner.
“One of the biggest challenges in combatting COVID-19 is that it’s a new virus – we have very little data and information about how and where it spreads,” he said. “By capturing data about where new cases are identified, we can learn more about COVID-19 – and in this case, knowledge truly is power. The more we know about COVID-19, the more effectively we can slow its spread and protect the health and wellbeing of our residents.”
Greiner also said that all of the data gathered by the tool remains anonymous. For more information about this new tool and other actions the Unified Government is taking to slow the spread of COVID-19, visit www.wycokck.org/COVID-19.
CAN PEOPLE IN OTHER COUNTIES IN KANSAS USE THIS TOO??