By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The COVID-19 case count has gone up in Reno County with nine new cases added over the weekend, for a total of ten active cases.
"Generally speaking, all are unknown sources of exposure, outside of one of those cases," said Reno County Health Department Director Nick Baldetti. "Eight, it looks like at this point in time are indicative of some community spread."
Baldetti would not call it a spike in cases, though.
"If we see activity next week or through the course of this week that is familiar to just increasing cases with unknown exposures, then it might be more applicable to use that kind of language."
Baldetti notes that case count is just one data point and the other data points still look okay for now, particularly hospitalizations.
"As of this morning with a census of 75, Hutchinson Hospital has one individual who they have tested potentially for COVID with no COVID-19 related hospitalizations," Baldetti said. "However, there seems to be activity in Sedgwick County related to COVID-19 and a high increase in hospitalizations and activity there."
Baldetti is reaching out to his colleague there for more information, as Sedgwick County and Reno County have a lot of commuting both directions.