Bethel College has 46 confirmed cases in COVID-19 cluster, Kansas health officials say

Public health officials in Kansas have confirmed a cluster of COVID-19 cases at a private college.

The coronavirus cluster at the Bethel College campus in North Newton has 46 confirmed cases so far of the coronavirus disease, school officials and the Harvey County Health Department announced Monday.

There have been 482 people tested so far at the school, and some test results are pending. The 46 cases of COVID-19 so far is a positive test rate of 9.5%.

“Mandatory testing during reopening is an effective way to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 in our student and employee population at the start of the semester,” Bethel College president Jon Gering said in a statement. “Our efforts have provided valuable public health information and revealed important health information for students and their families.”

Bethel requires all students, faculty, staff and administrators to be tested as a precaution, and that is how the cluster was identified, county spokesman Kyle McCaskey said. The school also mandates daily temperature checks, health monitoring through an app and the wearing of face masks while indoors and outdoors.

The patients are in isolation either on campus or at their permanent residence. The college and the health department will monitor their health and follow up with close contacts.

Some of the patients live outside the county or the state when college is not in session. They will still be included in Harvey County’s COVID-19 statistics because the county is their current place of residence.

“We appreciate Bethel’s proactive approach to preparing for its in-person fall semester,” Harvey County Health Department Director Lynnette Redington said in a statement. “We are of course glad that the individuals in these cases are generally in good health and good spirits. Being able to identify these individuals with COVID-19 now helps protect not just the Bethel community, but the communities of Harvey County as a whole.”

The private, religious college has an enrollment of about 500 students, according to their latest annual report.