“The great news is that KDHE, their state lab KHEL, they've loosened up the criteria,” said Adrienne Byrne, Sedgwick County Health Director.



Until now, Sedgwick County, which accounts for more than 500,000 residents, was only allowed to test people over the age of 60 with pre-existing conditions, or anyone with a compromised immune system.



Under the new guidelines from KDHE, the county can now test anyone who has a fever and just one other related symptom, like cough, congestion, or body aches. The change has already dramatically increased the testing rate.



“It's been really frustrating, and I'm sure very, very frustrating for the community as well, that they've been ill and they've been turned down to be tested,” said Byrne.



The governor believes her conversation with the White House was productive. Now, she said the state is working on a new plan of attack.



“I'm going to be taking all of this information and putting it together in a way that makes sense for Kansas,” said Gov. Kelly.