Fifth coronavirus cluster reported in Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County reported its fifth cluster of COVID-19, with the latest being at a long-term care facility, officials said Tuesday.

The facility was later identified by County Manager Tom Stolz as the Clearwater Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. He released additional details on the cluster, including that four cases of coronavirus have been confirmed there, including one death.

Clusters are two or more non-household cases that reported visiting the same place in relatively the same time frame. There have also been clusters at three churches and a business, Sedgwick County spokesperson Kate Flavin said in a news release. The Sedgwick County Health Department does not identify cluster locations “unless there is a risk to the public.”

“If a case is identified in a long-term care facility, Sedgwick County recommends that the facility isolate any symptomatic people away from other residents,” Flavin said. “The facility monitors all residents and staff for symptoms. They should not allow visitors into the facility and should cancel any group activities, although most facilities have already done both due to the pandemic. Sedgwick County works with the facility to ensure all close contacts are identified and are properly quarantined or isolated.”

Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Lee Norman talked about nearly two dozen clusters during a daily news conference on Monday.

“The state is currently monitoring 23 outbreaks: 12 in long-term care facilities, two in group living arrangements, three outbreaks in private companies, one at a correctional facility in Lansing, which we’ve talked about before, five religious gatherings,” Norman said. “There’s been one additional outbreak related to a gathering located in Sedgwick County.”

Contributing: Dion Lefler and Jason Tidd of The Wichita Eagle

This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 11:19 AM.