(RILEY COUNTY, KS – December 30, 2020) Riley County has identified 199 new positive cases and 87 additional recoveries since the last report on Monday, December 28.
Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 16 positive patients at this time. The patients have symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization, and four of the patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The free saliva-based testing held at CiCo park will close 30 minutes early this Thursday and Saturday, ending at 5:00 p.m. on December 31st and January 2nd. Testing will not be available New Year’s Day, Friday, January 1st. WellHealth will continue to provide free saliva-based testing today and every day, except Sundays, holidays, and inclement weather days from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at CiCo Park in Manhattan through the end of January. Appointments are recommended and can be made online at http://www.gogettested.com/kansas
Additional vaccine shipments are expected at the Riley County Health Department (RCHD) in the coming weeks. Vaccines will not be available to the general public at this time.
“We administered our first round of vaccinations last week and we will be administering another round today,” said Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs. “At the end of the day, we will have given almost 500 vaccinations. These vaccines are being given to healthcare providers, EMS staff, first responders, some health department staff, and a few critical infrastructure staff who are most at risk for catching or spreading the virus, or are essential for the safety of the community.”
Information about the availability of vaccinations for the public will be shared as soon as details are available. More information about the Kansas vaccination plan is online at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/284/COVID-19-Vaccine.
FAQ information about the COVID-19 vaccine is posted on the Riley County Coronavirus website at https://www.rileycountyks.gov/1873/Frequently-Asked-Questions
Riley County Statistics for Wednesday, December 30, 2020:
- Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 4,917
- Total active: 353
- Total recovered: 4,544
- Total deaths: 20
Positive Rate
- Week 52 (December 20-26): 11.4%
- 226 positive
- 1,977 total tests
- Week 51 (December 13-19): 11.5%
- 290 positives
- 2,532 total tests
- Two-week average: 11.45%
- 516 positives
- 4,509 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 two to five days for tests in Riley County, but sometimes there is a delay in reporting those numbers to the health department.
The next written update will be published Monday, January 4. The next video update will be today, Wednesday, December 30 at 4:15 p.m. on the RCHD 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.