People who attended the Kansas East Jurisdiction’s 2020 Ministers and Workers Conference at the Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ at 2106 Quindaro Blvd, Kansas City, Kansas, from March 16 to 22 may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to the Kansas Department of Health.
This event has been identified as a place of exposure for multiple people in Kansas who have since become ill and tested positive for COVID-19, according to a KDHE spokesman. Wyandotte County’s stay-at-home order did not go into effect until March 24.
Symptoms for COVID-19 appear 2-14 days after exposure and include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Other rarer symptoms that may develop include malaise, sore throat and diarrhea.
If you develop any of these symptoms, but are not ill enough to seek medical care, you must stay home for at least 7 days after symptoms started or for 72 hours after fever is gone (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and with a significant improvement in symptoms, whichever is longer, a KDHE spokesman stated.
If you develop these symptoms and need to seek medical care, call your health care provider beforehand to inform them that you may have been exposed to COVID-19 and require medical attention.
If you attended this event and develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 between 2 and 14 days later, call your local health department and they will conduct a confidential investigation to prevent further transmission of COVID-19, a KDHE spokesman stated.
For more information about COVID-19 in Kansas, visit www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus. For questions regarding isolation and quarantine for COVID-19, contact your local health department or KDHE’s Epidemiology Hotline at 877-427-7317.
The UG Health Department, in a news release, asked anyone who had been to the church event and who developed symptoms to do one of three actions:
- Call your primary health care provider.
- Report your symptoms online: www.wycokck.org/COVID-19.
- Call the Southwest Boulevard Family Health Care COVID-19 hotline: 913-396-7070.
According to the Unified Government Public Health Department, people who develop symptoms should stay home while they are sick, and for 10 days after symptoms are gone, including after fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medication. If you develop these symptoms and need to seek medical care, call your health care provider beforehand to inform them that you may have been exposed to COVID-19 and require medical attention.
Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer for the Unified Government Public Health Department, stated in the news release that community members and organizations need to be aware of the importance of social distancing and abiding by the stay-at-home order.
“If we want to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Wyandotte, it is absolutely critical that community organizations like churches, businesses, and all of our community members stay home as much as possible, avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, and maintain a 6-foot distance between people in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. We know this is disruptive to daily life, but it is necessary to protect our community.”
In other COVID-19 news today, Mayor David Alvey stated on a Facebook video presentation that some persons have been reported as not observing the six-foot social distancing rule while gathering at Wyandotte County Lake.
He said this rule will be enforced beginning this weekend. Violators could face as much as a $500 fine. The violation is a misdemeanor.
Besides maintaining a six-foot social distance, residents cannot gather in groups of 10 or more under the “stay-at-home” order.
Dr. Greiner reported on the video that a couple of large businesses in the community had positive cases, and that a unit of the UG had a positive case. The Health Department is tracking the cases, and there could be a need to quarantine contacts, he said.
He emphasized good personal hygiene and staying six feet away from others to prevent the spread of COVID-19.