Man in 50s tests positive for coronavirus in 6th Johnson County case; origin unknown
A man in his 50s in Johnson County preliminarily tested positive for the new coronavirus, the sixth case confirmed in the Kansas county since the outbreak began, officials said Sunday.
The origin of the man’s infection remained unknown. He was doing well in isolation at home and his family was in quarantine, according to the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment.
The department said it would get in touch with anyone who was in close contact with the man. The presumptive positive case was tested at a state laboratory; the results will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for verification.
“The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands frequently, cover your cough and make sure to stay home when you are ill,” Mary Beverly, the department’s interim director, said in a statement Sunday.
The agency also said it would no longer send out news releases about every presumptive positive case, but that updated information would be posted online at www.jocogov.org/coronavirus.
Nine people, including six in Johnson County, have preliminarly tested positive for COVID-19 in Kansas. There have been five cases in Missouri, none of which has been in Kansas City.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 7:18 PM.
