Local community leaders updated on virus effort in conference call

Hutchinson News, The (KS)

Mar. 20--Community leaders in Reno County learned during a briefing with local health and emergency management officials Friday morning that, as the coronavirus continues to spread to more counties, kits for testing for the virus are about to run out.

Supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders are also getting low, but officials hope to be resupplied next week.

"The PPE is being used mainly by fire and EMS personnel," said Reno County Emergency Management director Adam Weishaar. "It can also be used by a law enforcement officer. Currently, we have a request into the state Emergency Operations Center for PPE since we have not been able to obtain it locally."

"There has been a release of the Strategic National Stock Pile and supplies are coming to Kansas," he said. "We expect to see a resupply next week."

The total number of positive cases of COVID-19 statewide as of Friday afternoon was 44, with cases now reported in 11 counties, according to a Kansas Department of Health and Environment release.

That after the number of cases in Johnson County jumped to 23 and in Wyandotte County to nine. Sedgwick County also reported its first case.

Tracking may get more difficult

"In terms of our ability to track the spread, on medical supplies there are no new updates in terms of expectations," said Reno County Health Department director Nick Baldetti. "At the current burn rate, the state will be out of test capacity by Saturday. I've not yet checked with local care providers, but yesterday they were about a day out on their ability to collect specimens."

Reno County declared a public health emergency on Thursday, making it one of 48 counties to make such a declaration, Weishaar reported.

"We are currently meeting the needs of our residents," Weishaar said. "What that means is it gives us more latitude on responding to this emergency locally. It also makes us eligible for state and federal assistance."

Weishaar advised everyone on the call to start tracking work hours and equipment costs "outside the norm."

"We ask elected officials to continue to support their first responders and decision-makers in the community," he said. "Just know, none of us has been in this situation before. We're making decisions we don't have a past on. We'll make them and we may go back and adjust and change them, but decisions have to be made."

Local concerns, efforts

Nickerson Mayor Peggy Ruebke said she was asked by a local heating and air provider, as well as city maintenance staff, how they would know if anyone in a home they were entering was under quarantine, whether self-imposed or mandated.

"That's come up several times on conference calls, but under HIPPA laws, we're not able to release that information," Baldetti said. "That puts it on the individual to tell the service industry what they have going on."

It's been suggested service providers wear protective equipment as well.

"They've been pushing our first responders to wear them on every call, whether someone has tested positive or not," Baldetti said.

"There's been a lot of rumors of martial law and that the federal government is shutting down borders," Weishaar said. "This is completely false. I'm not saying it won't change, but to this point it's false."

United Way director Lisa Gleason informed the group that Reno County's Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster or VOAD has been activated and they're working on putting plans in place for collecting donations and providing volunteers as needed.

"We're relying on the nonprofits to let us know what is needed and if we can help," she said. "VOAD was created to fill gaps in the community in crisis."

In response to a question from another participant, Gleason said the United Way 211 phone line could be a resource for "pushing out information to the public" on the virus.

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