Barton County has had its first death due to COVID-19, Public Information Officer Donna Zimmerman said Wednesday morning. At the same time, she announced the 10th confirmed positive case of the disease in the county.

“It is with great sadness that we announce that on May 5, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment confirmed the first known COVID-19 related death of a Barton County resident,” she said. “Our heartfelt sympathy goes to the family, friends, and caregivers.”

The fatality was one of the first nine positive cases reported in Barton County, she said. No other information was available.  

As for the 10th case, Zimmerman said it occurred in the City of Great Bend. Again, no more was released about the individual.

“If you must travel to a known hot-spot, please take extra precautions before returning,” Zimmerman said. “This does not mean that unidentified cases do not exist elsewhere in the county and precautions should be taken by all residents of the county in all areas.”  

The county continues to monitor the situation and take appropriate action, including the issuance of quarantine/isolation orders, she said. To date, 165 quarantine/ isolation orders have been served in various locations in Barton County with additional orders to be served today. 

“This is a very serious and sometimes deadly virus,” she said. “We strongly encourage the public to take this pandemic seriously by practicing social distancing and staying home if at all possible.”  

She said the county will continue to provide further information as it becomes available.

For more information, rrefer to the KDHE website www.kdheks.gov/.