By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. —COVID-19 may not officially be in Reno County yet, but the Reno County Health Department is ready for it.
"The reality is with many upper respiratory viral infections, as we see with COVID-19, it's just a matter of when it gets here versus if it gets here," said Nick Baldetti, Director of the Reno County Health Department. "It is a strain of viruses that we've seen before. The public health and preparedness sections of both the health care sector and general community has planned for outbreaks and responses toward emergencies. We would use the same structure toward this."
It's not that COVID-19 is an emergency now, but if one would need to be declared, Baldetti would be the one making that recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners. The purpose behind that would be to access federal and state emergency money for response.
"There are only designated labs within each state right now," Baldetti said. "For the state of Kansas, the state-run lab in Topeka is the designated lab by the CDC that can actually test for those. Any medical facility should be able to swab and send those specimens up to the state lab."
The problem is with it being flu and cold season, the start of COVID-19 is similar symptomatically and it isn't feasible to test everyone at this point, because a sample would have to go to the state lab for testing and they need to be able to use their time effectively.
"If someone presents who has a potential risk factor, then absolutely, they will be tested," Baldetti said. "That goes back to that vetting process. If, for some reason, through that vetting at that physician's clinic, there's reason to suspect that we should test for COVID-19, then it gets shipped right up to the state and that turnaround should happen within a day or two."
Baldetti was clear that the same handwashing and hygenic precautions you should already be taking for the flu are the ones that will protect against COVID-19 transmission as well. Stay home if you're sick, wash your hands, cover your mouth if you cough. All of those things still apply. This is just a new virus strain that people need to build immunity to, but for those who are unable to do that because of underlying conditions, there is a risk involved.