The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports there have been 204,600 COVID-19 cases this year, resulting in 6,267 hospitalizations and 2,448 deaths statewide as of 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 21. There were 4,174 new cases, 107 new deaths, and 92 new hospitalizations reported since Friday, Dec. 18.
KDHE’s report of total cases for area counties shows 2,067 cases in Barton, 1,001 in Ellsworth, 914 in Pawnee, 717 in Rice, 324 in Rush, 686 in Russell and 260 cases in Stafford County.
Hutchinson Correctional Facility resident death
A Hutchinson Correctional Facility resident who died Friday, Dec. 18 had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the third COVID-19 related resident death at HCF, and the 12th resident death related to COVID-19 for the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC).
The resident tested positive for the virus on Oct. 23 and was transferred to the hospital on Nov. 23. He was a 62-year-old white male with underlying medical concerns that contributed to his condition.
The resident was serving a 12-year, 10-month sentence for convictions of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He had been imprisoned with the KDOC since March 2013.
The Hutchinson Correctional Facility is Kansas’ second-oldest prison and houses 1,884 men. Formerly known as the Kansas State Industrial Reformatory, the facility has three buildings including the Central (all custody levels), East (low-medium custody) and South (minimum) units.
For current information on COVID-19 in Kansas, and to sign up for updates, go to the KDHE COVID-19 Resource Center at https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus. For information on the KDOC’s response to COVID-19, visit https://www.doc.ks.gov/kdoc-coronavirus-updates.
Great Bend USD 428
Great Bend USD 428 nurses reported two new COVID-19 cases after contact tracing was complete and close contacts were notified. On Sunday, a staff member at Park Elementary School tested positive and on Monday a staff member at Great Bend High School tested positive. There were no school contacts for either case.
