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Employees test positive for COVID-19 at Wichita

Two essential health care workers and 15 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 at Wichita Presbyterian Manor.

An essential health care worker tested positive for COVID-19 with a rapid point-of-care (POC) test after starting to exhibit signs or symptoms of the virus during their shift on Monday, September 20. The employee passed pre-shift screening and wore personal protective equipment (PPE) as required.

A non-direct resident care employee tested also positive for COVID-19. The employee last worked Thursday, September 23. The employee tested negative for COVID-19 on September 20 in our first round of surveillance testing and has worn personal protective equipment as required. Through contact tracing, five non-direct resident care employees were identified as possible close contacts. They will be tested daily as part of the pre-shift screening process before being allowed to work.

The community also received the results from confirmatory PCR tests conducted on the health care residents who tested positive on September 16. Two cases were confirmed and one case was not. With these results, Wichita Presbyterian Manor’s total cases since September 7 is still 21 cases, with 5 employees and 16 residents.

The Sedgwick County Health Department and KDHE’s Epidemiology Hotline have been notified. Residents in the health care center and independent living will be tested again Monday, September 27 as a precaution. Employee surveillance testing will continue next week as required by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“With the transmission rate for COVID-19 in Sedgwick County considered high, we remain diligent in our efforts to protect residents and staff from the virus by following infection prevention protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kansas Department of Health and Environment and our own emergent infectious disease plan,” said Courtney Wolfe, executive director.  

PMMA strongly encourages residents’ families, employees and residents to carefully consider obtaining a vaccine for themselves as well as their loved ones. Every person who receives the vaccine will strengthen the protection for all residents, staff and the community at-large.

For more information about Wichita Presbyterian Manor’s response, go to PMMA’s (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s) website, presbyterianmanors.org/media-room.

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