State says Johnson County has community spread of coronavirus, will get less testing
Testing for the novel coronavirus will be reduced in Johnson County, which has reached the point where the virus is spreading by community transmission, state officials said Wednesday.
The county has the most presumed positive cases of COVID-19 in the state with 12. Five of those cases, Kansas Secretary of Health and Education Lee Norman said, involved people who did not contract the disease through travel or contact with known patients.
Because of this, and because of a limited supply of test kits, Norman said, there will be a “fundamental change” in the public health approach there.
Only Johnson County residents who are hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms will be tested, Norman said.
Anyone in the county with mild symptoms, Norman said, is asked to self isolate for at least seven days after symptoms start or 72 hours after their fever is gone.
The county will still be able to track the number of cases based on this testing and hospitalizations, Norman said, but the state will shift its testing supply for use in counties that have not reached community transmission.
“In a way that has a perverse benefit for the other areas where you still have to do that testing,” Norman said.
This strategy, Norman said, will prevent the state from running out of test kits.
“If we don’t follow the public health guidelines for the management in community transmission counties or states then what we’ll do is we’ll absolutely burn through our testing supplies because we will not have enough,” Norman said.
Currently, Norman said, the United States is “tracing the exact same trajectory that you’re seeing for Italy” where there have been 2,978 deaths.
A month from now, he said, it is not unlikely that Kansas will have hundreds of cases.
“We have to do better,” he said.
Johnson County released a joint statement Tuesday night with Jackson County and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City Kansas detailing a need to prioritize testing to the sickest patients.
Residents with mild symptoms were asked not to go to emergency rooms.
“Excessive testing of patients with minor symptoms may put too much strain on laboratories and hospital resources,” the statement said.
Mitigation over containment
Centers for Disease Control guidance says local authorities should shift from a strategy of containment to mitigation once community transmission has been established in order to conserve resources.
The guidance, however, does not specify how that should apply to the testing of potential patients.
The World Health Organization says suspect cases that should be tested include those who are hospitalized with symptoms as well as those who exhibit symptoms and have had contact with a confirmed patient or have traveled or resided in areas of community transmission.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat whose district includes Johnson and Wyandotte counties, issued a statement in response to the state’s new testing guidelines, saying the administration of President Donald Trump has failed in its leadership on the issue.
“The science is clear: the best way to prevent the spread of this virus is to make sure those who have it are aware and can act to protect themselves and others around them,” the statement read in part.
“With the greatest number of coronavirus cases in Kansas being in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, our community needs more tests, not less, and we need them now. I’ll keep pushing for this Administration and the Governor’s office to prioritize the health and safety of the Third District.”
Star readers and local leaders took to social media to express frustration with the approach in Johnson County.
“Failures of government at so many levels, starting with the FDA and CDC,” said Matt Clark, a libertarian candidate for the Kansas House of Representatives.
Taelyr Deleon, a Lenexa mom, said her son had the flu and was “swabbed,” allowing the family to best take care of him.
“When people can’t test, they can’t make well informed decisions about how to behave or what to expect,” she said.
More cases, state actions
Twenty-three presumed positive cases of the rapidly spreading virus had been reported in the state of Kansas by Wednesday afternoon. The state’s first case was reported in Johnson County earlier this month.
The two newest Kansas cases were reported in Leavenworth County. The cases, which were the first in the county, involved a person in their 40s and a woman in her 20s. Neither patient had recently traveled, according to a news release from the Leavenworth County Health Department.
Presumed positive cases have also been reported in Wyandotte, Douglas, Ford, Butler and Franklin Counties.
The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment issued an order Tuesday limiting restaurants, bars and movie theaters to takeout and delivery service for the next 15 days.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed an executive order Tuesday halting mortgage foreclosures and rent evictions during the pandemic. She also ordered all Kansas schools to remain closed through the end of the school year.
In Missouri at least 16 cases, including two in Jackson County, have been confirmed. 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 2:12 PM.
