Leavenworth VA Medical Center employee tests positive for coronavirus
An employee at the Leavenworth VA Medical Center has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officials said Monday.
Medical center officials were notified Sunday that the employee tested positive for COVID-19, the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System said in a statement. It called the risk of transmission to other patients and staff low.
Those who may have come in contact with the employee were notified and the unit where the person worked last week was cleaned over the weekend, according to the statement.
The VA medical center continued to screen veterans and staff members with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath who met criteria laid out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a spokesman said.
As of Sunday night, there had been two deaths and at least 65 confirmed cases of the virus in Kansas — 28 in Johnson County and 14 in Wyandotte County, officials said. It was an increase from 55 cases on Saturday.
In Missouri, state officials reported at least 106 people have tested positive for the virus, an increase from 90 on Saturday and 73 on Friday, according to the state health department.
With the increase in positive tests across Missouri and Kansas, officials in numerous jurisdictions, including Kansas City and Wyandotte, Johnson, Leavenworth and Jackson counties, ordered residents to stay home starting 12:01 a.m. Tuesday to limit the virus’ spread.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 11:02 AM.
