Sedgwick County has first coronavirus COVID-19 death, a resident of a Wichita suburb
Sedgwick County has had its first death from COVID-19, a county official confirmed Monday.
County Health Director Adrienne Byrne sent county commissioners an e-mail confirming the death of a resident on Sunday, Commissioner Michael O’Donnell said Monday.
“That (e-mail) said a man in his 60s with underlying health issues did in fact die,” from COVID-19, O’Donnell said. “He was tested and passed away in the hospital. He was a known case they had been investigating. He had a history of travel.”
News of the death first surfaced on social media, from a post by a relative reporting that the man, who lived in a Wichita suburb, died alone in the hospital intensive care unit, because visitors were not allowed in to prevent spreading the viral infection.
The relative said he went from walking and talking normally to being on a ventilator and life support within 24 hours.
The death was officially confirmed in a county news release at noon Monday.
In it, Commission Chairman Pete Meitzner said: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of this individual. Our deepest condolences go out to his friends, family, and loved ones.”
He also renewed his and the county’s call for residents to protect themselves from the coronavirus by following the stay-at-home order the county issued a week ago, and similar superseding order issued by Gov. Laura Kelly Saturday.
“As we navigate these rough waters together, I find myself grateful to serve such a resilient community,” he said. “We continue to make the health of this community our top priority and ask that all citizens do what they can to help slow the spread of COVID-19, including please stay at home.”
Contributing: Jason Tidd of The Eagle
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 11:35 AM.
