(Additional virus cases have been reported since Wednesday's news conference)
TOPEKA—Wednesday's coronavirus press conference with KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman covered several updates, including new testing procedures due to community spread in Johnson County, Kansas.
Watch the press conference here.
During the press conference, Norman said that of the 21 who had tested positive for coronavirus in Kansas, 19 were tested at KDHE labs and two at private, commercial labs.
There is one case in Douglas County, one in Franklin County, two in Leavenworth County, five in Wyandotte County, one in Butler County and eleven in Johnson County. The patient in Ford County traveled from out of state and is not a part of the state total, according to Norman.
The state is testing between 130 -200 samples per day, according to Norman and he said he didn't expect that number to drop. Approximately 4 percent of the tests come back positive.
In addition, Johnson County has now reached the level of community transmission, according to Norman. "Five of the 11 cases were acquired locally and not through travel and not any known contacts. With that, the testing strategies there will change. Only those Johnson County patients hospitalized with illness that could be coronavirus will be tested.
Johnson County residents with mild symptoms that they would not typically seek care will not be tested. Those individual should isolate at home, away from others for at least seven days from after symptoms started or 72 hours from after the fever is gone. Anyone with more severe symptoms should contact their healthcare provider. Those with mild symptoms should not expect to be tested."
Coronavirus fact sheet here.
