photo by: Sara Shepherd

Story updated at 2:43 p.m. Monday

KANSAS CITY, MO. — A woman who is the first case of coronavirus in Kansas has been admitted to the University of Kansas Hospital for monitoring but is doing well, state and hospital officials said Monday.

State officials announced Saturday that a woman from Johnson County was the state’s first case of the virus, which causes COVID-19. The woman, who is under 50, traveled to the Northeast U.S. but officials have not released any other details about her travel.

Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said in a news conference with hospital officials Monday that she called ahead before arriving at the hospital.

She went directly to special rooms set up with negative airflow, which makes the potential of her spreading the virus “zero,” hospital officials said.

The woman’s family members are in voluntary quarantine and are healthy, so Norman said he didn’t expect them to suffer any consequences from the disease. State officials had said previously the woman reported feeling ill March 1, started wearing a mask and was tested last Monday or Tuesday.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, director of inpatient critical care and infectious diseases at the hospital, said procedures and protocols for treating infectious diseases were in place for this case.

“The patient did the right thing,” he said. “When the patient arrived here those procedures and protocols were followed very well and (the patient) continues to be in isolation at this time.”

Norman said he expects more cases in Kansas but he believes the state and hospitals are prepared, unless the number of cases increases exponentially. The state is conducting about four to six tests a day, with about 40 tests done so far, he said.

Kansas is estimating it will receive between $4 million and $6 million of the $8.3 billion approved by Congress to fight the spread of the diseases. It currently is spending about $200,000 a month, he said.

The University of Kansas Hospital currently has 38 rooms capable of handling coronavirus and could create more if needed, said Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, who added that he believes all hospitals are making similar preparations.

With Kansas City set to host the Big 12 tournament this weekend, which draws thousands of people to the metropolitan area, the doctors urged everyone to practice safe practices, such as washing hands, sneezing into elbows, not touching your eyes or face and self-isolating if you feel ill.

At this point, Norman said he believes the tournament and other large public events should continue because there has been no community spread of the disease in western Missouri and eastern Kansas. He said it is difficult to balance quality of life and economic issues against potentially putting others at risk for the disease in these cases.

“I would favor moving ahead at his time,” he said. “But this is changing every day, so you’ll have to stay tuned.”