Lawrence, Douglas County log first confirmed coronavirus case, a young man in his 20s
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health officials said Tuesday the agency had confirmed its first case of coronavirus, COVID-19, in the Kansas county.
Because of patient privacy, the department would not confirm whether the patient is a student, but did say “he is a young man in his 20s who recently returned from Florida.”
George Diepenbrock, communications officer for the health department, said the young man was tested in Topeka. His sample was sent to a lab and the department received the test result Tuesday afternoon.
“We are working to identify any close contact that he might have had, or anyone who might have been exposed,” Diepenbrock said. “As far as I know, he is not in the hospital and is isolating.”
Announcement of the first confirmed case in the county comes only hours after the University of Kansas said it would require all students currently being house on campus at KU to leave the dorms by 2 p.m. Friday.
About 5,000 of the university’s 28,000 students live on campus in student housing.
The Douglas County case marks the 17th confirmed case of the virus in Kansas. The first case was recorded on March 7 in Johnson County.
The health department on March 13 ordered closure of schools, recreational facilities and public libraries until March 30. Physician and health officer Thomas Marcellino on March 17 also prohibited public gatherings of more than 50 people for eight weeks in an attempt to stem the expected outbreak.
“The actions we have taken may yet need to be expanded if we are to effectively control the spread of the virus,” Marcellino said in a statement. “This case is also a reminder that we need the community’s support in complying with our recommendation.”
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 3:38 PM.
