Updated: Friday, 1:04 p.m.
The City-Cowley County Health Department has confirmed a second case of COVID-19 Friday afternoon.
According to a news release from the department, the individual is a woman with dual residency in Oklahoma and Cowley County who was tested locally Wednesday. The individual is an adult female.
The health department clarified the dual-residency in a Facebook comment after the release of its initial report.
“The source of the ill person is already confirmed,” Cowley County Public Health Officer Thomas Langer said. “A family member who is a resident of Oklahoma was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 earlier this month.
“We are in contact with the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the local county health department in Oklahoma where the patient claims residence and we are tracing contacts and possible exposure in Cowley County. The patient arrived in Cowley County on April 21.”
Langer said the woman is receiving professional medical care for the illness and that there is no evidence of widespread community interaction at this point.
Langer cautioned against defying stay-at-home orders.
“I am sad to learn that individuals will disregard the guidance of public health officials and place themselves and others at risk,” Langer stated in the news release. “This is exactly how disease spreads and what we have been warning against.”
The current stay-at-home order in Kansas continues until at least May 3.
“Sadly, situations such as this can contribute to the community spread of this illness and result in longer term restrictions on our local population,” Langer continued. “I urge everyone in Cowley County to monitor their health status closely for the next two weeks and report any symptoms of illness to their physician or to contact the health department.”
As of Friday at 9 a.m, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 2,777 positive cases of COVID-19 across the state, along with 457 hospitalizations, 111 deaths and 20,811 negative tests.
These numbers predate the latest positive test confirmed by the City-Cowley County Health Department.
This is the first positive test result conducted in Cowley County since April 1. That man, Sam Crain of Ark City, died a week later on April 8.
KDHE reported Friday morning 137 people have been tested so far in Cowley County — or 3.92 per 1,000. Cowley County has a population of nearly 35,000.
In Oklahoma, there have been 3,121 positive tests for coronavirus, along with 188 deaths.
The City-Cowley County Health Department’s news release Friday did not specify a county in Oklahoma the woman is from, but Kay County has recorded 47 cases and 6 deaths so far.
However, the county saw an influx in testing on March 24 when a one-day drive-thru testing clinic took place in Ponca City.
Oklahoma had been releasing testing rates and numbers, but the public release of those statistics have ceased.
