photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

Nov. 20 COVID-19 update from the health department

Douglas County has added more opportunities for asymptomatic COVID-19 testing, according to a Friday update from the health department.

As the Journal-World has reported, the health department announced opportunities for free COVID-19 testing on Tuesday. By Wednesday, the health department announced that all the available slots in Lawrence and Baldwin City were booked. Friday, the health department said they added more appointments in Lawrence on Saturday and Tuesday and in Eudora on Sunday and Wednesday. To register, go to bit.ly/LDCPHcovidtest.

Douglas County reported 4,226 cases of COVID-19 as of Friday, an increase of 122 cases since Thursday. Of the 122 new cases, only 87 are new. The other 35 cases were mostly from October and were only recently identified by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) as Douglas County cases.

In Douglas County, 3,290 out of the 4,226 cases are inactive or beyond the infectious period, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, meaning 936 cases are active.

The county has averaged about 61 new cases per day over the last 14 days, according to a 14-day moving average graph updated weekdays by the health department. The current average of 60.64 new cases per day is down from a recent high of 65 cases per day in mid-November and up from a recent low of 18 cases per day in mid-October.

Thirty-two patients at Lawrence’s hospital had COVID-19 on Friday, three more than Thursday. Twenty county residents have died from the virus thus far.

KDHE’s online map noted that 37,828 Douglas County residents had been tested for the disease so far. The county’s testing rate per 1,000 people was 309.4.

Positive case at local assisted living facility

A health care resident at Lawrence Presbyterian Manor tested positive for COVID-19, according to a Friday press release from the assisted living facility.

Lawrence Presbyterian Manor, 1429 Kasold Drive, tested 76 employees and 39 residents for COVID-19 on Monday. The employees were then tested again on Wednesday. All results came back negative except for one resident.

The COVID-19 patient is isolating and only being cared for by designated staff members.

Last week, Lawrence Presbyterian Manor announced two employees and one contract therapist tested positive for COVID-19. The facility followed Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health’s recommendations to test everyone on Monday and to test employees twice a week. The assisted living facility said it will continue to follow the health department’s recommendations.

KU COVID-19 data

The University of Kansas has confirmed 56 more cases of COVID-19 since data was last released Tuesday, bringing the school’s cumulative case total to 1,305.

From Nov. 12 to Nov. 18, the most recent seven-day period for which data is available, KU confirmed 82 cases of COVID-19 from a total of 1,591 tests, a positive rate of 5.15%.

Douglas County, which tracks the rate of positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in KU’s dashboard updates, reported a metric decrease Friday. On Tuesday, that rate was 366 cases per 100,000 residents, and on Friday it fell to 313 cases per 100,000 residents.

KU’s last day of in-person classes will be Tuesday. Students are encouraged to leave campus for the semester at this time. KU’s spring semester is scheduled to begin on Feb. 1.