News Flash

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – October 06, 2021) One Riley County resident has passed away after testing positive for COVID-19. 

A 79 year-old fully vaccinated man tested positive on September 14th and passed away on September 30th at Via Christi Hospital. 

His death brings the total number of COVID-related deaths in the county to 59. 

Riley County has identified 49 new positive Coronavirus cases and 58 additional recoveries since the last report on September 29, 2021. 

In Riley County, since December, there have been a total of 214 positive cases from variants of concern. 

Six COVID-positive patients are currently under care at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan. Three patients are on the medical floor. One of the patients is partially vaccinated and the other two are unvaccinated. Three unvaccinated patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Riley County Statistics for October 6

• Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 7,920

• Total active: 81

• Total recovered: 7,780

• Total deaths: 59

• Total variant cases: 214

Vaccine Operations: 

Riley County Health Department itself has fully vaccinated 22,720 of the 64,433 eligible Riley County residents. This figure does not include those vaccinated at pharmacies and other medical facilities in the area.

Third doses of the Pfizer vaccine are now available for the following populations:

• People aged 65 years and older, regardless of a medical condition, should receive a Pfizer booster shot  

• Residents in long-term care settings should receive a Pfizer booster shot   

• People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a Pfizer booster shot  

• People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a Pfizer booster shot  

• People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a Pfizer booster shot based on their individual benefits and risks.

The vaccine booster dose only applies to individuals who completed the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine series at least 6 months ago. 

Please call 785-565-6560 M-F between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm to schedule your vaccine or with any additional questions.

Testing

Rapid and saliva testing is available for free. 

Testing is offered:

• Monday through Friday KDHE will be at the Manhattan Town Center parking lot on the north side from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Rapid testing (antigen) is only for symptomatic individuals. The medical staff on-site will determine which test is most appropriate. 

• Saturdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Riley County Health Department. Please park in the spots on Wharton Manor Road. No appointment is needed. 

POSITIVE RATE 

Week 39 (September 26- October 2) 3.1%

• 44 positive

• 1409 total tests

Week 38 (September 19 - 25) 3.6 %

• 61 positive 

• 1712 total tests

Two-week average: 3.36%

• 105 positive 

• 3121 total tests 

The next written update will be published on Wednesday, October 13th. Going forward, we will only be providing COVID-19 statistics on Wednesdays. 

For general questions related to the COVID-19 vaccine, 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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