Sedgwick County COVID-19 Update – September 24, 2021

COVID-19 Overall Case Count

Confirmed cases as of noon September 24, 2021

(U.S. cases: Johns Hopkins University & Medicine; Kansas and counties cases: Kansas Department of Health & Environment; Sedgwick County Cases: Sedgwick County Health Department)

*Sedgwick County’s data reflects people who test positive with nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, oropharyngeal (throat) swab, or saliva molecular testing (confirmed COVID-19 cases). The KDHE dashboard differs because it also includes people who are IgM antibody test or antigen test positive if they are linked to a confirmed case or if they have COVID-19 symptoms.

Vaccination Doses Given by Sedgwick County

This table shows how many doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been provided by the Health Department. Vaccines are only available for Sedgwick County residents. More information can be found at the COVID-19 Vaccination StoryMap.

*This table only contains vaccination doses given by the Sedgwick County Health Department. Other vaccination providers are required to report vaccination doses given to KDHE, not Sedgwick County.

Health Department Mobile, Partner, and Event COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Statistics

This table reflects data collected starting 1/19/2021.

*The Planning Department estimates 200 food bags were handed out prior to 7/16/2021.

**This indicates the number of new partner business and organizations that held clinics in the last week, but does not represent the total number of participating partner businesses and organizations.

Sedgwick County Health Department COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Sedgwick County provides Comirnaty/Pfizer vaccine (for people aged 12 and older) or one-dose Johnson and Johnson (for people 18 and older) at walk-in clinics (including the community vaccine clinic, 223 S. Main) across the County. Find a location near you at https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/covid-19/vaccine/clinic-locations/.

• Comirnaty (Pfizer) – fully approved COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 16 and older
• Pfizer – under emergency use authorization (EUA) for individuals 12 to 15 years old and for the administration of a third dose in certain individuals with weakened immune systems
• Johnson and Johnson – under emergency use authorization for individuals 18 and older

• You are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after receiving your second shot.

• Everyone, especially minors, are encouraged to eat a meal or snack prior to arriving to prevent any nausea that may occur following your vaccination.

• If you are receiving a vaccine, the Sedgwick County Health Department asks that you are well hydrated before and after receiving your dose.
• People going to the community vaccine clinic should plan to bring a quarter for the parking meter.
• To find a vaccine clinic near you, visit https://www.vaccines.gov/search/ and enter your ZIP Code. You can also check with your doctor’s office or community health center to find out if the vaccine is offered there.

A Pfizer COVID-19 Booster Plan for Sedgwick County Health Department will be announced at a press conference on Monday, September 27 at 3 p.m. More information about how residents can receive a booster dose from SCHD and the many other Vaccine Providers in Sedgwick County will be shared at this press conference.

• SCHD will begin offering booster doses of Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday, September 29. This date does not restrict other Vaccine Providers who may begin offering booster doses on a day other than September 29.

Sedgwick County Health Department is providing a no-cost third dose of Pfizer vaccine to people who self-attest to having a moderately or severely weakened immune system and who have previously received two doses of Pfizer vaccine. Documentation of a qualifying condition is not a requirement. People who can receive a third dose should bring documentation of their first and second doses to the vaccine site.

People who can receive a third dose have one or more of the following conditions or treatments:

• People who have cancer or are taking cancer treating drugs
• People who have had organ transplants who are taking immunosuppressive drugs
• People who have diseases of the immune system, most of these are genetic conditions
• People who are taking drugs to treat serious inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
• People with advanced or untreated HIV

If a person received the first and second dose of the Moderna vaccine, it is recommended they return to the location that they received Moderna. They may also check https://www.vaccines.gov and search for providers administering the Moderna vaccine near their location. The Sedgwick County Health Department only has the Pfizer vaccine available for a third dose.

Mobile and Partner Vaccine Clinics

No-Cost, COVID-19 Sampling

• No-cost, sampling is regularly available for residents, regardless of symptoms, through the Health Department Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. No appointment is required.

• Mobile testing sites are held occasionally on Saturdays and Sundays

• Text “SC COVID TEST” to 316-215-8313 to get in line for a COVID-19 test through the Sedgwick County Health Department. You will receive a message notifying you of a wait time or to come inside immediately. If the Q-line is full, you will receive a message stating, “The testing line is full for the rest of the day.”
• In addition to the Sedgwick County Health Department, there are additional
  testing sites in Wichita for residents to utilize. For more information and to schedule an appointment, please visit https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/covid-19/sampling-and-testing-information/covid-19-testing-locations/
• The County sampling site is at the Sedgwick County Park Sunflower Shelter, 6501 W. 21^st St, Wichita, KS, 67205 and takes saliva, NP, and oral PCR samples.
• For the Sunflower Shelter, please enter off of 13^th Street and follow the signs in the park.
• Results are generally by the afternoon of the next day. The Health Department will make three attempts to reach residents with their results.

• If you receive a voicemail or missed call from the Health Department, please call back in order to receive your results.
• For the quickest response, please call (316) 660-1022 and listen for the prompt to leave a message for the results department. 
• The County sampling site will relocate to 4115 E. Harry St. starting Monday, October 4.
• The current COVID-19 testing site at Sunflower Shelter will be open through September 30. The county will not offer testing on October 1 in order to move locations.
• Testing hours at the new location will remain the same as the current site.

Sedgwick County Updates

• After insightful discussions during the Board of County Commission staff meeting on Tuesday, August 3, regarding the latest local information on COVID-19, Dr. Minns is making a strong recommendation to Sedgwick County for the following:
  • Vaccinations for anyone eligible including those aged 12 and older as soon as possible.
  • Follow the CDC recommendation regarding the wearing of masks or face coverings. These recommendations include anyone not fully vaccinated and aged 2 or older, wear a mask in indoor public spaces. Additionally, in areas of substantial or high transmission (including Sedgwick County) consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings or for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated. 
  • For individuals that are fully vaccinated, to maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wearing a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission(including Sedgwick County).

• The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is partnering with Lyft to provide access to reliable, affordable transportation to older adults who need a ride to the get to their COVID-19 vaccine.
• Aging services professionals can help their older clients by using the special #LyftUp promo codes – worth up to $25 per person each way.
• The vaccine ride codes are part of the LyftUp program to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
• There are no location restrictions, and the vaccine ride codes are valid through December 31, 2021.
• For more information visit https://www.ncoa.org/article/ncoa-and-lyft-help-older-adults-get-rides-to-their-covid-19-vaccine
• Johns Hopkins University and IBM Research have unveiled a new artificial-intelligence chat-bot developed to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
• The chat-bot, Vaccine Information Resource Assistant, or VIRA, allows you to ask questions about COVID-19 vaccines and provides science-based answers.
• It can be found at www.vaxchat.org.
• On August 13, 2021, KDHE updated their travel quarantine guidance to include in-state mass gatherings of 500 or more. KDHE requires anyone who attends a mass gathering of 500 or more people where individuals do not socially distance and wear a mask to quarantine after the last day of the event. This includes both in-state and out-of-state gatherings. A mass gathering is any event or activity where 500 or more people are in the same space at the same time. Mass gatherings include events, parades, fairs, festivals, or other activities held in auditoriums, stadiums, arenas, large conference rooms, meeting halls, theaters or any other confined indoor or outdoor spaces, including school-sponsored activities.
• Normal operations in locations where large numbers of people are usually present, but typically socially distance or only briefly in close contact (for example airports, transit stations, medical facilities, libraries, shopping centers and stores, typical office environments, school classrooms, restaurants, factories, etc.) are not considered mass gatherings. Specific events held in these locations with more than 500 people who do not socially distance and wear a mask are considered mass gatherings.
• Sedgwick County does not allow people who attended a mass gathering to observe the modified 7 or 10 day quarantine period. People who are fully vaccinated or those who have had a documented positive PCR or antigen test in the past six months do not have to quarantine after attending a mass gathering, as long as they do not have symptoms in the 14 days after the last day of the event.

For more information, visit KDHE’s COVID-19 Travel Quarantine website