(RILEY COUNTY, KS – December 9, 2020) Riley County has identified 153 new positive cases and 44 additional recoveries since the last report on Monday, December 7.
Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for six positive patients and two PUI patients at this time. Two of the positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The Riley County Health Department (RCHD) announced this morning that it will adopt the new 10-day quarantine guidelines proposed by CDC and KDHE effective Thursday, December 10, 2020. The new guidelines state quarantine can end after day 10 if the patient has no symptoms of COVID-19. Riley County will not adopt the alternate 7-day quarantine option at this time.
Patients currently in quarantine may end their quarantine period after day 10 if they do not develop symptoms. Contact tracing staff will reach out to patients directly to share information about the new guidelines.
“To reduce the personal burden on patients and gain more compliance with quarantine, we will adopt the new 10-day alternative,” said Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs. “Symptoms may appear after day 10, but the likelihood decreases significantly. RCHD continues to recommend a quarantine period of 14 days for anyone exposed to COVID-19 if they have the ability to do so.”
Any person who is sick or would like more information about how to get tested, should 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. Any person experiencing life-threatening symptoms should call 911.
People who are waiting for test results should not call the Screening Line. That line is reserved for patients who need advice about testing. RCHD contact tracing staff will call people who participated in the free testing events directly. If staff are unable to reach the patient on the first try, they will call again.
Riley County Statistics for Wednesday, December 9, 2020:
- Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 4,176
- Total active: 493
- Total recovered: 3,667
- Total deaths: 16
Positive Rate
- Week 49 (November 29- December 5): 25.5%
- 389 positives
- 1,527 total tests
- Week 48 (November 22-28): 14.8%
- 209 positive
- 1,416 total tests
- Two-week average: 20.32%
- 598 positives
- 2,943 total tests
Case counts are preliminary and subject to verification. Patient test results are calculated in the week the test was given, not the week in which results were received. As results come in for tests performed in previous weeks, the percent positive information is updated. Typically, results are processed in three to five days for tests in Riley County, but sometimes there is a delay in reporting those numbers to the health department.
No new outbreaks have been identified since Monday’s report. There are a total of 13 active outbreaks in the county. RCHD staff communicate extensively with outbreak locations, making sure protocols are followed for cleaning and quarantine, and that all close contacts are notified.
The next written update will be published Friday, December 11. The next video update will be today, December 9 at 4:15 p.m. on the RCHD 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.
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.
