TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – A Kansas City, Kansas, nursing and rehabilitation home has seen three more COVID-19-related deaths to bring its total to 15, and the state health department plans to bring on 400 volunteers to help trace people who’ve had contacts with people infected with coronavirus.
The outbreak at the Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation home in Wyandotte County has become the state’s largest coronavirus cluster, with the number of coronavirus cases likely to surpass 1,500 statewide on Thursday. Wyandotte County also has the state’s highest number of COVID-19-related deaths, with 31 of the 76 reported, or 41%.
RIVERBEND OUTBREAK
The Wyandotte County-Kansas City health department reported that six more people have tested positive for coronavirus at the Riverbend home, making the total 116. Cases have been confirmed in 92 residents and 24 employees, and nine people remain hospitalized.
Nursing homes have been hit hard by the coronavirus, with the state Department of Health and Environment reporting at least a dozen outbreaks with more than 200 cases.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
CONTACT TRACING
Tracing the contacts of people with coronavirus generally is done by local health departments, but the state health department assists, and it is bringing on 400 volunteers. Some will be medical students and others will be existing health department employees.
The Wyandotte County health department also has 20 University of Kansas medical students are volunteering their time on contact tracing, joining five staffers in doing the work.
“It does not require a medical, a nursing or a technology degree to do the contact tracing,” said KDHE Secretary Lee Norman. “People can do it from an office or their home. It’s not face-to-face.”
CASES, DEATHS RISING
The state saw a 4.8% increase Wednesday in confirmed coronavirus cases, up 68 to 1,494. The number of reported COVID-19 related deaths jumped 10%, up seven to 76.
Wyandotte County has a disproportionately high number of cases, 362, or 24% of the state’s total, despite having only 5.7% of the state’s population.
Sixty-three of the state’s 105 counties have reported cases.
___
Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
