(RILEY COUNTY, KS – August 21, 2020) Riley County has 33 new positive cases and 1 recovery since Wednesday’s report. The totals are now 185 active, 375 recovered, and 5 deaths.
Additional cases have been identified in association with the Phi Delta Theta fraternity outbreak in Manhattan, for a total of 15 included in today’s report. No additional cases have been identified with the USD 384 School District Office outbreak, and that total remains at 7 positive people.
Phi Delta Theta continues to work closely with the Riley County Health Department to encourage testing of their members and close contacts, while upholding their health and safety protocols.
“Our members that have been tested positive are regularly checked in on and are doing well,” said Phi Delta Theta Chapter President Zach Hoeven. “Our fraternity has been fully cooperating with all of the right people and will continue to do so. We are doing the right thing by getting people tested to ensure the health and safety for both our members and our community.”
Resources for Greek housing are available through the Fraternity and Sorority Life at K-State (FSL) at www.fslatkstate.com. Find additional resources and guidance for group living quarters on the Riley County website at https://www.rileycountyks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19211/Group-Housing-Guidance. More advice and information for people in shared or congregate housing is available from the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/shared-congregate-house/guidance-shared-congregate-housing.html.
“Each fraternity and sorority spent the summer creating a reopening plan & protocols with the help of FSL staff, their stakeholder groups (advisors, house directors, alumni boards, etc.), and their inter/national organizations,” said Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at K-State (FSL) Jordan Kocher. “The health and safety of the student members as well as the volunteers who advise, work with and feed them are a top priority. We will continue to communicate and address issues of the pandemic directly, as our community leaders recognize the role fraternities and sororities play in Manhattan’s public health.
Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for zero positive patients and zero PUI* patients at this time.
Riley County Health Department (RCHD) partnered with the Kansas National Guard and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to provide free swabbing at the Vineyard Community Church yesterday, August 20. The RCHD is entering the data of 478 people that came to be swabbed and the contact tracing team will notify participants of their positive or negative test results by a phone call. Results are available within 48 hours of receipt at the state lab and the specimens were taken straight to the lab at the end of the event.
Anyone who has symptoms, is a close contact of a positive patient, or would like information about how to get tested should contact their health care provider or call the Riley County Screening Line at 785-323-6400.
Riley County Statistics for Friday, August 21, 2020:
- Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 565
- Total active: 185
- Total recovered: 375
- Total deaths: 5
- Pending test results: 120
- Negative test results: 5,744
- Average age: 31.3 years old
- Gender: Female: 46.2% (261), Male 53.8% (304)
Percent positive information is updated each Monday and is also posted online in the Data & Info section of the Riley County Coronavirus web page at http://rileycountyks.gov/coronavirus.
Case counts are preliminary and subject to verification.
*A PUI is a Person Under Investigation; a patient who has symptoms of COVID-19 and is waiting for test results.
The next video update will be Wednesday, August 26 at 4:15 p.m. on the Riley County Health Department’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Rileycountyhealthdepartment/.
For more information about Riley County’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, visit the Riley County website at www.rileycountyks.gov/coronavirus, follow RCHD on Facebook at /Rileycountyhealthdepartment/ and Twitter @RileyCoHealth.