Out-of-state man positive for coronavirus in western Kansas

A man in his 60s, who traveled from out of state, has become the first person in southwest Kansas to be confirmed to have COVID-19.

Ford County said Tuesday morning that the county’s first case had been confirmed. People from out-of-state will not be counted in Kansas’ count of people with coronavirus, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The KDHE said Tuesday that Kansas had positive tests from a person in Oregon and another in Missouri but those won’t count toward the 15 Kansas cases, which include one death.

A Ford County official said the man is at a hospital and his family is under quarantine.

The KDHE has confirmed 10 cases in Johnson County, three in Wyandotte and one case in Butler and Franklin counties. The single death in Kansas was in Wyandotte County.

At this time, more than 5,600 cases have been diagnosed in the U.S, according to Worldometer, including roughly 95 deaths. Worldwide, the organization reports, nearly 191,000 people have been infected and more than 7,500 people have died.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly counted the man in Ford County as a coronavirus case in Kansas.

This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 11:39 AM.