First Sedgwick County presumptive-positive coronavirus patient is in home isolation

The first presumptive-positive case of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has been confirmed in Sedgwick County. Officials said Thursday evening that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has confirmed the test results.

“We knew that eventually we were going to have a positive case,” said Sedgwick County Commission Chairman Pete Meitzner. “... It has been a blessing that it has not happened earlier.”

In a news release, county officials said the patient is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and is quarantined at home. The patient is a Wichita woman over the age of 60.

The woman went to her family doctor on Wednesday.

“She was tested due to fever, cough and shortness of breath,” said county health director Adrienne Byrne.

County officials said the Sedgwick County Health Department, the KDHE and the CDC are working to identify and contact people who may have come into contact with the patient while she was infectious. Once identified, those people will be tested by health officials only if they start showing signs of fever and respiratory symptoms.

Byrne said she did not know how long the patient had been experiencing symptoms, and it is still under investigation whether the case is travel-related.

The health department is investigating the woman’s movements. Health officials said she did not have contact with anyone in a shared public place, such as a grocery store or a church, that they are aware of.

Until they know how she contracted the virus, they won’t know if Wichita is dealing with a case of community transmission. Such as case would indicate that the virus has already been present in Wichita, circulating through the community undetected.

About 14% of Sedgwick County residents are 65 or older — the age group that the Centers for Disease Control says is at a higher risk for severe illness if they contract the virus.

Kansas now has 36 known cases of the new coronavirus, with three in the Wichita area. Two cases have been confirmed in Butler County.

Across the nation, the number of confirmed cases is rising rapidly. On Tuesday, there were just more than 5,700 confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States. That number climbed above 11,500 on Thursday, the Washington Post reported.

Part of that is due to increased testing, according to the Post.

In Sedgwick County, officials would not say how many people have been tested.

The rapid spread of the disease has set off a number of restrictions and closings. Every cultural attraction in the county — including the Sedgwick County Zoo, Exploration Place and the Wichita Art Museum — is now closed. Universities have moved all classes online.

On Monday, Sedgwick County officials banned gatherings of more than 50 people.

On Wednesday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly ordered the state’s schools to close for the rest of the semester. Thursday evening, in one of the strictest restrictions yet to attempt to slow the spread of the virus, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all residents to stay at home.

Also Thursday, public health experts warned that the Kansas City metro area’s coronavirus outbreak could be as severe as Seattle’s within two weeks.

“This isn’t a maybe. It is coming,” Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, told reporters Thursday morning.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has mandated new quarantine measures. The state is mandating a 14-day quarantine for anyone who has:

▪ Traveled to California, Florida, New York or Washington state on or after March 15.

▪ Visited Eagle, Summit, Pitkin and Gunnison counties in Colorado in the week prior to March 15 or after.

▪ Traveled on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15.

▪ Traveled internationally on or after March 15.

Those who are under home quarantine should not attend school, work or any other setting where they are not able to maintain a 6-foot distance from other people, the state’s news release said. People are not required to report their travel to the state.

This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 7:58 PM.