2 new COVID-19 clusters reported in Sedgwick County

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) Sedgwick County reports two new COVID-19 clusters, bringing the county’s total to eight. The two recent reports concern a local business and a long-term care facility.

“There are less than five cases at the business and 13 cases at the long-term care facility,” the county says. “At this point, the Sedgwick County Health Department has investigated all confirmed cases and close contacts, and believe the clusters to be contained and no risk to the general public.”

With this, the county did not name either the business or the facility in Monday’s news release.

The county says, “Clusters are defined as two or more non-household COVID-19 cases identified in a certain timeframe and place.”

With an increase in swabs available, the Sedgwick County Health Department says it now has the capacity to take samples from all residents and staff in long term-term care facilities if there is just one confirmed case of COVID-19. The county says residents in the new long-term care facility cluster are being tested by the facility.

“As with all notifiable diseases, Sedgwick County investigates reports of COVID-19 in facilities. If a case is identified in a long-term care facility, Sedgwick County recommends that the facility isolate any symptomatic people away from other residents,” the county says. “Residents and staff are tested, either by the Health Department or through the facility. The facility monitors all residents and staff for symptoms. The facility should not allow visitors and should cancel any group activities, although most facilities have already done both due to the pandemic. Sedgwick County works with the facility to ensure all close contacts are identified and are properly quarantined or isolated.”

A chart showing clusters by type of entity is available on Sedgwick County’s COVID-19 data dashboard.