Three staffers and one resident at Parsons State Hospital have coronavirus

The first patients to test positive for the novel coronavirus at a state hospital were three of its own workers and a resident, officials said.

Three women who are staff members at Parsons State Hospital and Training Center in southeast Kansas have tested positive for COVID-19, officials with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services said in a news release Monday evening. A four confirmed case is a resident of the state hospital.

They are the first confirmed cases at any of the four state hospitals. Officials did not say what role the workers had at the health care facility, or their conditions. The resident has been moved into on-site isolation.

State officials said surgical masks were distributed to all staff members on Saturday based on new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and “as added precaution.” Staff in all areas of the hospital will wear masks “when social distancing is difficult,” and temperatures of employees and residents will be taken twice daily.

The medical facility in Parsons is operated by the state and serves people with intellectual disabilities.

This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 7:36 PM with the headline "Three staffers and one resident at Parsons State Hospital have coronavirus."