Veteran in Wyandotte County tested positive for coronavirus, VA hospital says
A Wyandotte County veteran tested positive for the novel coronavirus after visiting a Kansas City Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic, the local VA medical center said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
According to the post, the veteran visited the clinic March 12 and was experiencing respiratory symptoms. Since then, the patient has been self-isolating and is doing well, VA officials said.
The veteran’s test results came back presumed positive for COVID-19 Wednesday, bringing Wyandotte County’s number of cases to five and the state’s to 20.
The post did not say what facility the veteran visited.
“The risk of transmission to other patients and staff remains low at this time,” the post said.
According to Wyandotte County health officials the patient was a man in his 60s who had no relevant travel history or known exposure to the virus.
Sen. Jerry Moran, the Kansas Republican who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, told The Star last week he was “trying to make certain the VA is prepared for veterans who are determined to have coronavirus.”
He also noted that in time of crisis the VA may be called on to provide treatment of non-veterans.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, issued an emergency order Tuesday closing all schools in the county as well as restricting restaurants and bars to delivery and takeout orders only.
The rapidly spreading virus has infected more than 4,000 people across the country, with cases in every state, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed an executive order Tuesday halting mortgage foreclosures and rent evictions during the global pandemic.
16 cases, including one in Jackson County, have been confirmed in Missouri. However, in a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Mike Parson said he would leave to local officials any decisions to close schools and bars.
McClatchy reporter Bryan Lowry contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 12:02 PM.
