Another long-term care facility in Great Bend was listed as a COVID-19 exposure location, or “cluster,” on Wednesday. Riverbend Assisted Living has had seven cases within the last 14 days, with the last onset date on Nov. 5.
Wheatland Nursing Center in Russell was also listed as a cluster, with eight cases within the last 14 days.
Although the Kansas Department of Health and Environment updates many of its COVID-19 numbers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, statewide cluster information is only updated on Wednesdays. As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Kansas had 357 active COVID-19 clusters, resulting in 11,193 cases, 333 hospitalizations and 249 deaths.
Two other clusters in the Golden Belt were repeats from last week. The Ellsworth Correctional Facility has had 23 cases in the last two weeks. Medicalodges Kinsley in Edwards County has had 17 cases.
Statewide
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Kansas has had 109,225 cases, resulting in 4,252 hospitalizations and 1,215 deaths statewide. There were 5,672 new cases, 34 new deaths and 114 new hospitalizations since Monday, Nov. 9.
Barton County has had 46 hospitalizations, including 10 intensive care unit admissions and five patients on mechanical ventilation. Twenty-eight patients have been discharged, although the data only includes cases with available discharge information reported to KDHE. These numbers were unchanged from Monday, except there was one more hospital admission and that person was in the 85+ age group.
KDHE also showed that Barton County has had 1,080 COVID-19 cases as of 9 a.m. Wednesday. This was an increase of at least 24 cases since the last report from Barton County Public Health, issued at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. However, county figures have generally been higher than the state’s numbers when they become available.
Barton County Health Department continues to identify close contacts of the individuals of each positive case. The health department recommends that people maintain at least a 6-foot social distance from other individuals and cancel mass gatherings where individuals will be in close contact with each other. BCHD also encourages wearing masks, washing hands frequently, covering coughs and sneezes, regularly cleaning high-touch areas and avoiding shaking hands.
Great Bend USD 428
Here are the latest reported COVID-19 incidents related to Great Bend USD 428, as reported on the district website:
• Monday, Nov. 9, a staff member at Eisenhower Elementary tested positive; no additional quarantines were expected. (Note: other notifications from Monday were published in the Nov. 11 Great Bend Tribune.)
• Tuesday, a staff member at Park Elementary and a staff member at Riley Elementary tested positive; no additional quarantines were expected.
• Wednesday, a student at Great Bend High School tested positive; six student quarantines were expected for close contact.
• Wednesday, a staff member at Lincoln Elementary tested positive; one student quarantine expected.
• Wednesday, a student at Eisenhower Elementary tested positive; six student quarantine orders expected for close contact.
• Wednesday, a student at Eisenhower tested positive; five student and one staff quarantines expected for close contact.
• Wednesday, a student at Eisenhower tested positive; three student and two staff quarantines expected for close contact.
