MCPHERSON -- The McPherson County Health Department today reported seven new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the county total to 62 cases.
The following information about the new cases was provided by the health department.
•One newly positive case is a symptomatic female in her 30s with known exposure and is recovering at home.
•Another newly positive case is a symptomatic female in her 40s with known exposure and is recovering at home.
•Another newly positive case is a symptomatic male in his 60s with known exposure and is recovering at home.
•Another newly positive case is a symptomatic female in her 60s with known exposure and is recovering at home.
•Another newly positive case is a symptomatic female in her 20s with known exposure and is recovering at home.
•Another newly positive case is a symptomatic female in her 60s with unknown exposure and is recovering at home.
•Another newly positive case is a symptomatic male in his 20s with unknown exposure and is recovering at home.
The health department noted that 41 of the total confirmed cases in McPherson County have now met recovery guidelines set forth by the KDHE.
Following is additional information provided by the McPherson County Health Department.
McPherson County has had a tremendous uptake in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the last week. An alarming amount of cases are asymptomatic, meaning they do not have any signs or symptoms. A portion of these positive cases report attending gatherings at local lakes, parties, or traveling sport tournaments while contagious. These are events both inside and outside of McPherson County. If you are notified by the Health Department of being a contact of someone who is positive for COVID-19, you MUST quarantine at home for 14 days. This means that a negative test will not return an exposed person to work/sports/daycare/etc. sooner than 14 days. If you are a contact, decide to be tested, and it comes back negative, you STILL have to finish your 14-day period because you may become contagious anytime during the rest of the 14 days. We do NOT routinely recommend testing contacts unless symptoms arise or a high risk individual is involved. People who have not had direct exposure to someone with COVID-19 do not need to quarantine and are not excluded from work/sports/daycare/etc.
If you are being tested for COVID-19, you are considered a Person Under Investigation (PUI). The PUI MUST isolate while waiting on results. The PUI should isolate away from anyone in their household. If they are not able to isolate away from the household members by staying in their own room, the entire household must quarantine while awaiting results to reduce exposure.
If a person in quarantine does not develop any COVID-19 symptoms, then they are released from quarantine at the end of 14 days. If symptoms do develop during those 14 days, the person is to contact their primary provider for further evaluation and/or testing. People who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 may be released from isolation at the direction of the Health Department when it has been 10 days since the onset of symptoms AND 72 hours since symptoms have resolved. This symptom-based method of returning people to work is preferred to a testing-based method of returning people to work because tests can still remain positive long after the virus is no longer active.
These are challenging days for groups and businesses. They are responsible for providing a safe environment for their employees and participants. They are severely affected when their employees and participants are excluded due to exposure. Much of this exposure is occurring outside of work. The best way to keep our businesses open and functional and keep our social interactions available is to maintain a 6-foot physical distance between people and wear a mask when in public when physical distancing may be difficult to maintain.