(RILEY COUNTY, KS – April 16, 2020) Riley County has one new positive case today, for a total of 26. The patient is a 53 year-old male and is currently recovering in isolation at home. Twelve (12) Riley County residents have recovered from the disease so far, and no Riley County residents are currently hospitalized for COVID-19.
Positive cases in Kansas reached 1,588 today with 359 hospitalizations and 80 deaths.
"Riley County has been doing a great job of social distancing, as you can see by the ‘B’ social distancing score and the low number of positives in our community. Keep up the good work. You’re saving lives," said Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs.
Contact tracing continues for all individuals who test positive. Contact tracing is used to notify individuals who have come into close contact with positive patients and help identify potential “hot spots.” This is an important tool for monitoring the spread of the disease. However, since community spread has already been indicated for Riley County, people should assume they have come into contact with the virus anytime they go out in public.
“That’s why it is so important to continue to stay at home as much as possible and take all available precautions if you do have to go out in public,” said Gibbs. “This fight is far from over.”
If you have symptoms of coronavirus, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, please call the Riley County Health Department’s Screening Hotline at 785-323-6400 to talk with a medical professional. The hotline is staffed every day from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Please note, no one from the health department will ask for bank account or financial information as part of contact tracing. If someone does call asking for financial information, residents are advised to hang up and notify the police department immediately.
Riley County Statistics for Thursday, April 16, 2020:
- Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 26
- *Total Recovered: 12
- Total Hospitalized: 0
- Pending test results: 11
- Negative test results: 162
*Note: Following CDC guidelines, patients are to remain in isolation through the duration of illness and are considered to be recovered after the following criteria have been met: At least three days (72 hours) since resolution of fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications and Improvement of respiratory symptoms AND At least seven days have passed since symptoms first appeared https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html
For more information about Riley County’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) threat, visit the Riley County website at https://www.rileycountyks.gov/covid19, follow RCHD on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Rileycountyhealthdepartment/ and Twitter @RileyCoHealth.
