Following is the Saline County COVID-19 update for Friday.
The Saline County Health Department was expecting to have new guidance passed down from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment this week for local officials to review. Unfortunately, that timeline has been extended to next week. Authorities hope to be able to review the new guidance on Monday and release those updates to the public immediately.
There have been 247 new cases of COVID-19 reported since our last update, and the Saline County Health Department is monitoring 1,180 patients who are currently dealing with issues related to COVID-19.
In total, 10,766 individual cases of COVID-19 have been reported to the Health Department, and at least 9,398 people have recovered after testing positive for the virus.
Salina Regional Health Center reports that 29 patients require hospitalization related to COVID-19.
We do not have a clear determination as to the sudden dramatic increase in cases and deaths. Contact tracers have yet to determine any more local mass spreader events. The Saline County Health Department will release additional information as it becomes available.