Kansas’ 7th coronavirus case confirmed, connected to Johnson County Community College
A person associated with Johnson County Community College preliminarily tested positive for the novel coronavirus, county health officials announced Saturday.
The patient, a woman in her 50s, has the fifth case confirmed in the county. She is the first known case of local transmission, according to a news release from the Johnson County health department.
State health officials confirmed the case and another reported in Franklin County in a public update later in the day.
The woman’s test results were forwarded to the Centers for Disease Control for confirmation. All those exposed will be contacted by the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment. She is hospitalized and her family is in quarantine.
“It is important to remember to take basic precautions like washing your hands, covering your cough and staying home when you are ill. The local transmission has been expected. Most people with mild symptoms will recover in a short amount of time,” Mary Beverly, interim director of the county health department, said in the release.
Johnson County Community College posted a statement on its website Saturday telling students and staff to call the Johnson County health department if they develop symptoms. The community college had already announced plans to close campus to all but essential functions starting Saturday.
The woman marks the seventh case of COVID-19 in Kansas.
On Thursday Gov. Laura Kelly issued a state of emergency after a 70-year-old man who lived in a long-term care facility in Wyandotte County was posthumously diagnosed with the virus.
The man, who lived in a facility run by the same company who owns a home in Seattle where 22 people died of the virus, was the first case of community transmission in the state. He had not traveled outside the state or had contact with anyone known to have the virus.
Four cases confirmed in Kansas were announced in Johnson County starting March 7. All four cases involved people who had traveled to parts of the United States where the virus was more widespread than Kansas.
A sixth case in the state was announced Friday in a Wichita hospital. The case involved a 72-year-old Butler County man who had recently taken a cruise.
There have been four cases in Missouri thus far and none in Kansas City.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 11:31 AM.
