(RILEY COUNTY, KS – October 28, 2020) Riley County has 37 new positive cases and 37 additional recoveries since Monday’s report.
Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 2 positive patients at this time. The patients have symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization.
"Riley County is in a good position right now" said Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs. "Many areas in Kansas have seen large increases in case numbers in recent weeks, but the safety measures we have in place locally have helped keep our numbers low. I commend the community for all the hard work and effort they've put in. We'll get through this if we continue to work together, wear masks, and keep our distance. Getting flu shots this year will also help you stay healthy and relieve pressure on the medical community."
Offering access to testing is also a powerful tool for slowing the spread of the virus. Riley County is offering the next free testing event on Thursday, November 5th, at Pottorf Hall in Manhattan’s CiCo Park. Anyone is welcome to drive up and get tested during the two time slots: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. You do not have to be a resident of Manhattan or Riley County to participate. No appointments are necessary and the standard nasal swab PCR test will be administered.
“The line moves pretty quickly and the test only takes a few moments,” said Gibbs. “With the last few free testing events, we’ve seen roughly 5% of tests come back positive. Results take 2 to 3 days and contact tracing staff will call you to follow up.”
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. The Screening Line is staffed by nurses and is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Riley County Statistics for Monday, October 28, 2020:
- Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 2,177
- Total active: 100
- Total recovered: 2,066
- Total deaths: 11
- Total negative test results: 17,484
Percent Positive Data
Week 43 (October 18-24): 7.7%
- 83 positive tests
- 1,077 total tests
Week 42 (October 11-17): 5.0%
- 55 positive tests
- 1,105 total tests
Two-Week Percent Positive: 6.32%
- 138 positive
- 2,182 total tests
Case counts are preliminary and subject to verification.
Please note, percent positive results are counted for the week in which the test was taken, not the week in which results are received. Test results are currently taking 24-72 hours to process.
Percent positive information will now be updated each Wednesday in order to allow test results from the end of the week to be included to the totals. Percent positive information will also be posted online in the Data & Info section of the Riley County Coronavirus web page at http://rileycountyks.gov/coronavirus. 
Riley County has five active outbreaks at this time. No new outbreaks have been declared since the last report and all of the outbreaks at Greek houses have expired.
“The Greek houses have worked hard to implement safety practices, and that work has paid off.” said RCHD Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Renee Lucas.
A PDF of the outbreak information is posted at https://www.rileycountyks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19614/10-28-public-outbreak-information.
The next video update will be today, Wednesday, October 28th at 4:15 p.m. on the Riley County Health Department’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Rileycountyhealthdepartment/.
Drive up flu shots are available at the health department. Please make an appointment by calling 785-776-4779 ext. 7675 or schedule an appointment online at http://www.rileycountyks.gov/flu.
Patients with health insurance will not pay out-of-pocket for the flu shot and RCHD will bill insurance companies directly. Patients who do not have health insurance will be asked to pay a $20 fee for the injection, but will not be charged the full price of the vaccine.
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.