photo by: Contributed/LMH Health

A COVID-19 drive-thru testing site at Lawrence's hospital, LMH Health, is pictured Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

Local health officials announced Tuesday that 38 Douglas County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, an increase of two from the previous day.

Additionally, LMH Health announced that all patients, visitors and employees must wear masks within the hospital, and that visitors should provide their own cloth masks in order to preserve personal protective equipment for patients and staff. On Monday, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began recommending that everyone wear cloth face coverings in public as part of an effort to reduce the number of cases.

In Douglas County, there are 23 cases believed to have been contracted through travel, eight from local transmission and six from contact with someone with a positive case. One case is still under investigation for type of transmission.

The 38 local cases involve two people in their late teens, 15 people in their 20s, 10 people in their 30s, six people in their 40s, two people in their 50s, one person in his or her 60s, one person in his or her 70s and one person who is over the age of 80, according to a news release Tuesday afternoon. Of those cases, 21 are men and 17 are women, the health department said.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced that, as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, a total of 900 Kansas residents had tested positive for the new coronavirus, including 27 deaths as a result of the disease.

KDHE’s online map noted that 843 Douglas County residents have been tested for the disease so far. The county’s testing rate per 1,000 people was 6.9, the third highest in the state.

A daily update from LMH Health announced that, as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, there was one patient at Lawrence’s hospital with COVID-19 and five others who were under investigation for the virus.

LMH Health had collected 714 COVID-19 specimens total as of Tuesday, and 34 of those specimens had tested positive for the virus. On Monday alone, LMH Health collected 34 specimens.

The CDC has instructions on how to make a cloth mask with a piece of cloth and two rubber bands on its website. LMH Health also is seeking the help of local seamstresses to make cloth masks. Sewing instructions are available on the hospital’s website.