KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Kansas and Missouri announce steps to "reopen" amid the coronavirus pandemic, there is continued concern over how to protect those living at long-term care facilities.
Data released by the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment highlights the issues plaguing long-term care facilities. Since Friday, a total of 114 of Johnson County’s confirmed coronavirus cases, including 26 of the county’s 37 deaths, have been identified at 15 nursing homes.
County health director Sanmi Areola said the risk to that population is "the highest."
"We have to do all that is in our power to protect this population," Areola said.
Areola identified some areas that have caused problems, including employees not having enough person protective equipment and employees working at multiple facilities.
"Every facility has some level of risk, maybe some more than others depending on how they are managed," he said.
Long-term care facilities are responsible for reporting every positive COVID-19 case to their local health department, which then determines whether or not to make the data public.
The Unified Government Public Health Department has posted updated on its social media accounts, including announcing two new clusters at long-term care facilities on Friday. Johnson County published its first list on Friday. Areola said the list will be updated every week. Facilities that have reported zero new cases in 28 days, the duration of two incubation cycles, will be removed.
The state of Kansas does not release such information, which some health officials warn is critical to stopping the spread of the virus.
