Following is the Saline County COVID-19 update for Monday.
We have received notification of 144 new positive COVID-19 cases in Saline County since our last update on Friday, November 20th. The total for the County is now 2,146 with 505 cases that are actively being monitored by the Health Department, 1,621 that have recovered, and a total of 17 deaths. Salina Regional Health Center notified us that they have 31 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Our dashboard has been updated with the latest information:
●Mobile Device Users: https://arcg.is/yjPT1
●Desktop Users: https://arcg.is/1qHnb0
The Saline County Board of County Commissioners met in a special public meeting today and voted to adopt a Public Health Order. This order went into effect at 12:01 am on Sunday, November 22nd. The Public Health Order limits gatherings within indoor spaces to 15 individuals or less, with exceptions for certain establishments and activities. The order can be found on the County website www.saline.org/coronavirus.
Cases continue to rise rapidly and the Health Department is experiencing delays in the ability to quickly contact new positive cases to begin investigations and contact tracing. We have enlisted assistance from KDHE to assist with contact tracing as well as hired additional staff. Please be aware that if you or someone you know has been tested, they may receive a call from KDHE Epidemiologists as they help us manage our case load. If you are not sure if it is a real call, ask for their callback number and then please call the Saline County Health Department and we can confirm that it is a legitimate investigator.
If you have been tested for COVID-19, you need to isolate at home until your test results are back. Those that are notified of a positive COVID-19 test you should:
●Isolate for at minimum 10 days from symptom onset and be 72 hours fever free and have a significant improvement in symptoms.
●Close Contacts are defined as those persons within 6 feet or less for 10 minutes or more, two days before the positive cases’ symptom onset date.
●Close Contacts need to quarantine for two weeks from their last contact date unless living in the same household, and then it would be two weeks past the positive case’s isolation release date.
●If after several days, the Health Department has not reached out to a close contact, the Health Department may not have been notified of the contact exposure and you will need to notify the Health Department; but please be patient and continue to quarantine until then.
●Stay home if you are sick. Regardless if you think it may be a cold, it could be allergies, but it also could be something worse.
According to the Kansas Department of Health & Environment, there are now 142,059 cases and 1,456 deaths statewide. This information can be found at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
Announcements:
●A shelter site, at no cost to an individual, is available for those who cannot isolate or quarantine in their homes and who have tested positive for COVID-19, those individuals who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive, and those living and working in at-risk congregate settings. This shelter does provide for housing, meals, laundry, and cleaning service so individuals are provided a safe shelter to avoid exposing their household to the COVID-19 virus and help stop the spread of the virus. For more information or to request this service, please contact your local Emergency Management Department at 785-714-0389 or 785-819-0263 if you need shelter outside of your home.
Following the proven public health guidance to slow the spread of COVID-19 continues to be extremely important for everyone to do. Please:
- Wash your hands often, for at least 20 seconds with warm soapy water. Use hand sanitizer if you do not have access to soap and water.
- Maintain physical distance between yourself and others of at least 6 feet or more.
- Wear masks in public spaces as required by City Ordinance and County Resolution. You must cover your nose and mouth for masks to be effective.
- By Public Health Order, gatherings are limited to 15 persons or less (with certain exceptions for establishments).
- Sanitize frequently touched surfaces and areas such as doorknobs, handles, cell phones, tablets, etc.
- Stay home if you are sick. Regardless if you think it may be a cold, it could be allergies, but it also could be something worse.
Only follow official sources to obtain information: www.saline.org/coronavirus or www.kdheks.gov.