A Southwestern College student has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a news release from Southwestern College in Winfield.
The student was tested as a part of Southwestern College’s Fall 2020 Semester Plan, which allows for all students, staff, and faculty to be tested for the virus as they arrive to campus. Test results received on Saturday identified the first positive case within the campus community.
“The individual who tested positive is in isolation, and is being cared for and supported,” Dean of Students Dan Falk stated in the release. “We are working in close coordination with public health and local care providers while also seeing to the needs of this member of our Builder family.
“We’ll do everything we can to help care for them as they recover and will work closely with our public health officials to fully address the risk of virus spread.”
Campus testing, administered by William Newton Hospital nurses, began on Monday, July 20.
As of Saturday, 394 tests had been performed. Of the 198 results returned so far, only one returned positive.
For residential students, the college has designated housing where students will complete a period of isolation after testing positive for the virus. A college care team is also in place to deliver meals, help with transportation to health care, and to check in on the student’s emotional well-being while in isolation.
Southwestern President Brad Andrews said in the news release that positive results were expected.
“When we decided to test our whole campus community we knew it was probable that we would identify cases and we made preparations based on that assumption,” Andrews stated. “But we also knew that identifying positive cases as early as possible, isolating those individuals and caring for them, while working with public health officials to address all the different components of the situation, would best position us to keep our campus community safe from spread of the virus,.”
In addition to testing at check-in, the college has implemented numerous safety procedures as part of the fall plan: including a required pre semester quarantine of all students, staff, and faculty; the wearing of masks on campus; and restrictions on both social gatherings and travel.
The college also chose to bring residential students to campus in phases.
Check-in times have been assigned to each student, reducing social interaction during their move-in to the residence halls. As part of that check-in students are tested and asked to isolate until their test has been processed.
“One important component of our plan was to bring students back to campus early, allowing time to test for the virus before classes and modified activities begin – in doing so we are working to eliminate as many pathways for the virus as possible,” said Andrews.
Cowley County cases have increased by 12 and active cases have increased by 10 since Friday.
The City-Cowley County Health Department reported Monday afternoon a total 140 positive COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. Active cases have risen to 53 and recoveries now total 85.
The health department reported the second death in the county connected to the virus on July 21.
Since the pandemic began, the City-Cowley County Health Department has tested 2,515 people. Cowley County has a population of 34,908 people as of July 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported statewide 26,172 total cases since since a national emergency proclamation was issued by the White House on March 13.
Hospitalizations have increased to 1,644 and statewide deaths have risen to 335.
Negative tests number 252,764.
Kay County reports 188 total cases confirmed so far, with nine of those deaths. The state of Oklahoma now reports 32,686 cases statewide and 496 deaths.
