(RILEY COUNTY, KS – February 1, 2021) One additional COVID-positive patient has died in Riley County. The patient was a 76-year-old male. He tested positive for COVID on January
7 and passed away on Sunday, January 31, at Via Christi Hospital. His passing brings the total number of COVID-related deaths in the county to 31.
Riley County has identified 68 new positive cases and 147 additional recoveries since the last report on Friday, January 29.
Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for three positive patients at this time. One of the positive patients is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
With the 780 remaining doses that Riley County has, it will continue vaccinating those 65 and older with severe health conditions on Tuesday. For the remainder of the week, the Health Department will focus on vaccinating more than one hundred and fifty people in Riley County 65 and older who are homebound.
Those who are homebound include individuals disabled to the extent it prevents safe or timely vehicle transportation and are severely immunocompromised.
"We're planning to vaccinate 600 people from the 65 and older age group Tuesday, along with some healthcare providers and first responders," said Julie Gibbs, Riley County Health Department Administrator. "The process is going much more smoothly than the first week. We're learning from every clinic we conduct, but there's a feeling of hope and gratitude here. As I look around I realize this is what we've all been working so hard for and it's truly gratifying."
Once Riley County has completed vaccinating those 65 and older with severe health conditions, people in that age group who do not have qualifying medical conditions will get their vaccines according to the order they signed up.
Vaccination Protocol for 65 and older
Vaccine Phases
In order to reach everyone who wishes to be vaccinated, we are mailing a postcard to every household and business in Riley County explaining how to register for the vaccine. A total of 32,000 postcards will be sent later this week. People who do not wish to sign up online may do so by calling the health department at 785-565-6560 during business hours. Funding for the mailing project was provided through a generous donation from the Butler Family Foundation, a supporting organization of the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation.
Riley County Statistics for Monday 1st:
The next written update will be published on Wednesday, February 3. The next live video will be on Wednesday, February 3 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 www.rileycountyks.gov/coronavirus , follow RCHD on Facebook at /Rileycountyhealthdepartment/ and Twitter @RileyCoHealth.
For general questions related to the COVID-19 vaccine timelines and availability, members of the public can check the FAQ information online at https://www.rileycountyks.gov/.../Frequently-Asked-Questions
Questions can also be emailed to [email protected]
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