May 08, 2020

Health Department: Reno County down to just seven active cases of COVID-19, Fairgrounds tests not included

Posted May 08, 2020 10:24 AM
Health Department.jpg
Health Department.jpg

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — As of 4:00 p.m. Thursday, May 7, Reno County now has registered forty-one positive cases of COVID-19. The newest positive case is female, in her 20’s with a known source of exposure associated with another known positive. She is currently in-home isolation per guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We cannot currently release any further information as case contact investigation is underway.

Thirty-four previously confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Reno County have since completed recovery and are non-symptomatic per disease investigation guidelines furnished by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Currently Reno County has ran 816 tests with 775 negatives for a positive case rate of 5.02%. A total of 1.30% of Reno County has been tested thus far.

The State of Kansas has located a mobile testing site at the State Fair Grounds in Hutchinson, Kansas, funded by Walmart, Inc. and administered by eTrueNorth laboratories. The communication of results from testing is solely administered by eTrueNorth. The Reno County Health Department and local primary physician clinics do not have access to those testing results.

If you have questions regarding existing testing please contact the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at 1-866-534-3463 or eTrueNorth laboratories 1-800-635-8611.

The Reno County Health Department strongly encourages residents to first contact their primary care physician about the availability of testing and for symptom consultation.

The Reno County Health Department also has a self-reporting form hosted on its COVID-19 Information Center (https://www.renogov.org/741/COVID-19). The Health Department seeks to mobilize residents to self report their symptomology through the self-report form to better assist in quantifying and tracking case contact and spread within the county. This form is designed to both capture responses from those who have already been experiencing symptoms prior to today as well as those residents who begin to showcase symptoms in the coming weeks and months.

We continue to highly encourage Reno County residents to be dependent on health authorities to provide the most accurate information on COVID-19.

Please practice good hygiene with frequent hand washing, proper respiratory etiquette such as coughing and sneezing into your elbow bend, limit handshakes and physical contact. Stay home if you are feeling ill and call your primary care physician to discuss your symptoms.