(RILEY COUNTY, KS – September 21, 2022) The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recorded 61 new COVID-19 cases for Riley County for the week of September 10 - 16. The Incidence Rate is 82.2 which places Riley County in the SUBSTANTIAL incidence category with 50 - 99 cases per 100,000 people. This total does not include any at-home test results.
No (0) COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized at Ascension Via Christi in Manhattan. There have been no (0) additional deaths reported. There have been a total of 95 COVID-related deaths among Riley County residents since the start of the pandemic.
CDC Guidelines
The CDC Community Level continues to be LOW. The CDC measures the number of new cases per 200,000 people, the number of hospitalized COVID patients, and also considers the percentage of hospital beds still available. At LOW levels, the CDC recommends people stay up to date on vaccinations and avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
Find more information about CDC Community Level assessments.
Find current guidelines for quarantine and isolation from the CDC.
Vaccine Information
The Riley County Health Department continues to administer COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax. The new, bivalent booster doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are now available to people whose last dose was at least two months ago. Some age restrictions apply, as the new boosters have not yet been approved for young children. The Clinic will also begin administering influenza vaccinations starting October 3rd. People will be able to get flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same appointment.
“Several people have asked if they can get both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines together, for convenience. It’s perfectly fine to do that and we will have flu vaccines available starting in October,” said Dr. Jacob Clarke, MD, Clinic Supervisor.
Walk-ins are welcome at the Health Department Clinic. People can also schedule appointments by calling (785) 776-4779 ext. 7675.
Riley County Health Clinic Hours:
- Mon-Wed: 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Thurs: noon – 6 p.m.
- Fri: 8:30 - 11 a.m.
Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to receive vaccinations. The Health Department does not charge any fees for COVID-19 vaccines.
Who is eligible to receive the new, bivalent boosters and when:
- Individuals 18 years of age and older are eligible for a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent if it has been at least two months since they have completed primary vaccination or have received the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.
- Individuals 12 years of age and older are eligible for a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent if it has been at least two months since they have completed primary vaccination or have received the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 Tests
The Riley County Health Department provides free, in-person COVID-19 tests by appointment. Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. No walk-ins will be accepted for testing. People can schedule appointments as soon as two hours in advance and as far as five days in advance.
Schedule testing appointments
Free at-home test kits are also available in the lobby at the Riley County Health Department Clinic, located at 2030 Tecumseh Drive. The limit is one test kit per person, and each kit contains two tests. Free test kits are also available by mail through Project ACT at https://accesscovidtests.org/faq. Most pharmacies carry test kits for sale.
Additional Information
There have been a total of 15,412 COVID-19 cases in Riley County as of September 21, 2022 according to the KDHE Case Summary.
Please report positive or negative results when you take an at-home test using the online portal. The Report At-Home Test Results link is also available on the Riley County COVID-19 page at www.rileycountyks.gov/covid.
COVID-19 testing options
KDHE Data Dashboard.
COVID-19 updates from CDC
Next Update
The next update from Riley County will be published Wednesday, September 28.