Harvey County health officials are reporting a cluster of COVID-19 cases at the Asbury Park care home in Newton.
Testing showed 22 residents and eight staff members had the virus. All of these people have since been isolated.
“Our primary focus is on the health and well-being of our residents and employees,” said Asbury Park Chief Executive Officer Don Voth. “We will continue to follow the guidance of the local health department to control the transmission of the virus, and will continue to test all employees twice weekly and monitor all residents closely. Most of the individuals confirmed to have COVID-19 are not showing any symptoms.”
These cases were found thanks to preemptive testing of all resident and staff. The health of all employees and residents is being monitored.
“We have seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in our county and surrounding counties the past two weeks. That puts additional challenges on our medical providers and long-term care facilities,” said Harvey County Health Department Director Lynnette Redington. “Our long-term care facilities have done exceptionally well these past several months, but we need the community’s help to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
According to information from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the only other active cluster in Harvey County is at Newton High School. The last case from this cluster was identified on October 28.
