Saturday, March 7, 2020

Governor Laura Kelly has confirmed the first positive case of coronavirus in Kansas.

During a press conference Saturday, Kelly said a woman in Johnson County, under 50 years old, tested positive in early March.

The state will send the testing over to the CDC to be confirmed, but the state is treating it as positive unless determined otherwise by the CDC.

Health officials say she may have contracted the virus in an area in the northeast part of the U.S, but could not say if she contracted it from another person with the virus. They believe that she did not travel outside of the country.

State officials said she "did everything right" in her efforts to avoid spreading the virus by calling her doctor before going in and wearing a mask.

Right now, the state is working to contact those she may have been in contact with. She's currently isolating herself at home and doing well.

Health officials say as of right now, there will be no closing of events.

Kelly says the state is still considered 'low risk' for spread of the virus.

U.S. Congressman Roger Marshall, M.D. released the following statement in response to the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Kansas:

“Kansas has now joined 19 other states in its first case of covid-19. This is not a time to panic at all. This is the time to implement plans we’ve been urging families and organizations to prepare. I remain in contact with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the CDC. President Trump, his administration, and Kansas have been preparing for this possibility for years, and have ramped up their protocols over the past several weeks. Every school, workplace and public area should be using their best judgement. As a physician, I’ll say what I’ve been saying for weeks: Keep houses and businesses well-ventilated with fresh Kansas air. Nursing homes and hospitals need to have restricted visitation. Every school, workplace and public area should be using their best judgement. Again, this is not the time for panic. Wash your hands. Stay home if you’re sick. Use common sense.”

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Friday, March 6, 2020

Kansas currently has no confirmed cases of coronavirus, but the Kansas Department of Health and Environment says there are two people currently under investigation for the virus.

Right now, we don't know anything about the patients or their symptoms.

KDHE says 11 people previously under investigation all tested negative for coronavirus.

"The Kansas Health and Environmental Laboratories (KHEL) remains ready to test with the CDC/ FDA-authorized Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) kits. At this point, KHEL has adequate capacity to support the needs of Kansas," said KDHE in its latest update.

While there are no cases of coronavirus in Kansas, the virus has been confirmed in surrounding states, including Colorado and Oklahoma. Fifteen people evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the coast of Japan are also being monitored in Omaha, Neb.