There are 3 new COVID-19 deaths in Saline County along with 131 new positive cases of the virus.

According to the Saline County Health Department, there have now been 2,277 total cases with 599 cases currently active. There are 1,658 people who have recovered, and  now a total of 20 deaths.

Salina Regional Health Center has 34 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

The county dashboard has been updated with the latest information:

Mobile Device Users: https://arcg.is/yjPT1
Desktop Users: https://arcg.is/1qHnb0

Health Department staff continue to be overwhelmed and several days behind with contacting new positive cases and close contacts. We have added staff and some cases being routed to contact tracers at KDHE, but still, we are behind. Please, we ask for your patience. If you have tested positive or you are known to be a close contact, please do not call the Health Department unless at least 3 days have passed and you have not heard from us. We understand that for both employees and employers, quarantine or isolation documentation may be necessary to verify a leave of absence. However, with being several days behind, we are unable to produce the necessary documentation immediately.

According to the Kansas Department of Health & Environment, there are now 147,797 cases and 1,503 deaths statewide. This information can be found at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.

The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is to celebrate with people in your household. Thanksgiving gatherings with family and friends can increase the chances of getting or spreading

COVID-19 or even the flu. Following the proven public health guidance to stop the spread of COVID-19:

1. Wash your hands often, for at least 20 seconds with warm soapy water. Use hand sanitizer if you do not have access to soap and water.
2. Maintain physical distance between yourself and others of at least 6 feet or more.
3. Wear masks in public spaces as required by City Ordinance and County Resolution. You must cover your nose and mouth for masks to be effective.
4. By Public Health Order, gatherings are limited to 15 persons or less (with certain exceptions for establishments).
5. Sanitize frequently touched surfaces and areas such as doorknobs, handles, cell phones, tablets, etc.
6. Stay home if you are sick. Regardless if you think it may be a cold, it could be allergies, but it also could be something worse.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, updated positive case numbers will not be distributed on Friday, November 27th.