A new case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Cowley County, according to a news release from the City-Cowley County Health Department Monday.
Test results received over the weekend revealed that another local resident of Cowley County has contracted the virus.
The most current case involves a young man that reported feeling ill to his employer. The employer has been working closely with the Health Department since the onset of the pandemic and in keeping with established protocols requested that a COVID-19 test be performed to screen for the illness.
The positive result was transmitted to the Cowley County Public Health Officer on Sunday.
“The Health Department is currently performing the contact tracing of this exposure and illness,” said Thomas Langer, Cowley County Public Health Officer. “The patient and his family are currently quarantined. Immediate family members are being tested and monitored for any change in health conditions. Prior to reporting illness to his employer the patient had shown no symptoms and was previously interacting in the community in a normal fashion including going to work, shopping and other necessary activities.
“The patient’s wife has been working from home and the family has not traveled extensively. We are monitoring everyone that may be remotely connected to this case. Any person exposed by close contact will be quarantined and will remain in isolation until the illness has passed.”
The name of the employer was not released.
The health department said residents in the community need to be aware that the threat for COVID-19 has not gone away, despite increased public and private activity in the population. Cowley County is half-way through the scheduled Phase 1 of the statewide reopening plan which began on May 4.
As of Monday, the City-Cowley County Health Department reports it has conducted 350 tests so far since the pandemic began.
“Any new case being discovered is discouraging news, yet the identification of this new COVID case is not unexpected,” Langer said. “The increase in testing that has been occurring, along with the precautions taken by employers in partnership with the Health Department allowed us to quickly and efficiently identify the case. This is exactly how the system to test people who have symptoms is supposed to work. I hope everyone in our county takes notice of this new case.”
Langer also clarified that although this is the fourth case identified by the City-Cowley County Health Department, the official tally for the county is three. One of those cases led to the death of an Ark City man on April 8.
“Our official case count in Cowley County will remain at three,” Langer said. “The Oklahoma resident that was in Cowley County when she became ill in late April has now recovered and has left the community returning with her family to their home in Oklahoma. Our local responsibility for monitoring her health status has been transferred to the local health department where she lives.”
As of Monday morning, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 7,116 positive cases of COVID-19 across the state, including 660 hospitalizations, 158 deaths and 46,933 negative results.
Sedgwick County has 451 cases, Sumner County remains at four and Butler County has 18.
Kay County, Oklahoma, remains at 48 cases with seven reported deaths. Overall, the state of Oklahoma reports 4,613 cases and 274 statewide deaths.
“Remember that the illness is present locally,” Langer said. “Please continue to take all the required precautions and if you feel the slightest bit ill, stay home, do not go out or to work, contact your health care professional or the health department and be tested.
“Additionally remember to keep your distance from others and to practice the prescribed personal hygiene tasks of frequent handwashing and surface disinfection around your homes and workplaces. The battle against COVID-19 is far from over.”
