Wichita woman had ‘no known travel history’ in county’s first coronavirus case

A Wichita woman who tested positive for COVID-19 had “no known travel history,” county officials confirmed Friday, a strong signal that the coronavirus could be spreading undetected in Wichita.

The woman, who is over 60, is the Sedgwick County’s first patient to test positive for the illness.

Coronavirus is a highly contagious lower respiratory illness with no known cure. Most people recover from the illness, but 10,000 people worldwide had died by Friday. Health experts say a vaccination could take a year to 18 months.

For now, many state and local governments, including Kansas and Sedgwick, have banned gatherings of more than 50 people and encouraged regular hand-washing with soap and warm water and promoted “social distancing” — maintaining a distance of at least six feet between people.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly this week closed all school buildings across the state for the remainder of the semester. Wichita and Sedgwick County governments have moved to a bare bones staff to deliver essential services.

Many businesses have either shut down, furloughed employees or ordered employees to work from home. The stock market is tumbling. Some economists have begun warning of a second Great Depression.

The second-hand effects of the coronavirus have been apparent. But the actual spread of the virus in Kansas has been nearly impossible to accurately track due to a shortage of testing kits.

The most cases have been discovered in Johnson County, but it’s unclear if that’s because the area had more testing supplies.

Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, announced Friday that the state could exhaust its supply of coronavirus test kits over the weekend, which threatens to leave the state in the dark about how the virus is spreading.

Sedgwick County officials provided a small glimpse into the low level of testing in the Wichita area on Friday.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the Sedgwick County Health Department has tested seven people. County and state officials did not provide the number of tests submitted from other facilities in the county, including hospitals and private clinics.

The Wichita woman who tested positive for COVID-19 was tested by a private physician who sent samples to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

“We knew we were going to have a case, and we had it, and we’re likely going to have more,” said Pete Meitzner, who is chair of the county’s board of commissioners and board of health.

“There is no known travel history associated with this case at this time. Our health department has contacted and monitored the residents and associates that may have come in contact with her,” Meitzner said.

The woman is self-isolation at home and the county is closely monitoring her condition, Meitzner said.

She went to her family doctor on Wednesday after calling a local private clinic.

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

Byrne said she did not know how long the patient had been experiencing symptoms.

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 a 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 44 known cases of the new coronavirus, with three documented in the Wichita area. The other 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.

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.

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. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker followed suit on Friday, announcing a “shelter-in-place” order across the state.

Public health experts have 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.

Contributing: Dion Lefler and Jason Tidd of The Wichita Eagle and Jonathan Shorman of The Wichita Eagle and Kansas City Star.