A second COVID-19 death has been reported in Wyandotte County, according to local health officials.
A man in his 70s died Monday, March 23, at a local hospital, according to a Unified Government Health Department spokesman.
The man originally was admitted to a local hospital on Monday, March 16, and tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, March 18, the spokesman said. He had other health issues, also. He was feeling better and was discharged on Friday, March 20, but then went to another local hospital on Sunday, and died in the late evening on Monday, March 23, the spokesman said.
“We offer our prayers and thoughts to the family and friends of the deceased. Their sadness is our sadness. Our own family and friends are precious to us, and so I call on each one of us to protect one another and stop the spread of COVID-19!” Mayor David Alvey said in a news release.
Mayor Alvey emphasized that in light of this news, it is critical that residents of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas follow all UG preventive measures and guidelines, including the stay-at-home order, that is in effect through April 23.
Dr. Allen Greiner, the chief medical officer for the Unified Government, noted that the stay at home order and social distancing recommendations are critical to “flattening the curve.”
“The curve is a way to show the number of people who have the virus at any point in time,” Dr. Greiner said. “We need to keep that number low, so we don’t overwhelm our health care system. Without efforts to intensify social distancing, like the stay at home order, COVID-19 can spread very easily – it is estimated that each COVID-19 positive patient could infect between 2.6 to 4 additional people. If we work together to slow the spread, we can protect ourselves, our families, and our Wyandotte County community,” Dr. Greiner said.
Residents who believe they may have COVID-19 should call their primary health care provider, a Health Department spokesman stated. Wyandotte County residents may also self-report symptoms online at wycokck.org/COVID-19.
Janell Friesen, public information officer for the UG Health Department, said she was very sad to hear of the death of the patient.
The stay-at-home order went into effect in Wyandotte County on Tuesday.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Wyandotte County increased to 24 by 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, according to Health Department information.
Six positive cases were reported in Wyandotte County on March 24, according to information from the UG Health Department. They included a male in his 50s in the hospital; a female in her 80s in the hospital; a female in her 50s in the hospital; a male in his 20s isolating at home; a man in his 40s in the hospital; and a man in his 60s in the hospital.
The positive cases also include a man in his 80s in the hospital on March 23.
Wyandotte County’s first COVID-19 related death was on March 11, a man in his 70s, according to Health Department information.
At this time, health officials are not aware of where the patient who died March 23 got the virus. Health investigators will be tracing the contacts of patients in order to track the spread of COVID-19 and stop it from spreading further, according to Friesen.
It also will help if residents self-report symptoms of COVID-19 on the UG’s website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information, Friesen said.
The death is a sad reminder for residents to stay at home and slow the spread of COVID-19, she said. Residents may leave their homes to pick up essential needs such as food, medication and supplies.
The UG is relying on businesses to look at the “stay at home” order, think about the well-being of their employees and make a determination if they are truly providing basic needs for the community, she said.
Staying at home is the best way to slow down the spread of the COVID-19, if everyone does his or her part, she said.
Resources provided by the Unified Government include:
The UG’s COVID-19 response website is at www.wycokck.org/COVID-19.
The Wyandotte County Help Line is available to residents at 3-1-1 for those with questions.