UPDATE: Soon after this story was published, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Lee Norman announced there are now 44 cases of COVID-19 in Kansas residents. This story was also updated for clarification.

Sedgwick County is working to create a drive-thru testing center for COVID-19, according to Sedgwick County Manager Tom Stoltz.

The county will open the center “as soon as they get enough commodities,” Stoltz said.

Stoltz said residents should continue to work on proper preventative techniques as the cases in the state and country continue to rise. 

“It’s serious,” Stoltz said. “Things like cleanliness, hygiene, proper distancing, are important for all populations in Sedgwick County now.”

 If a resident is suffering from the symptoms, Stoltz encourages them to call 211. They’ll be asked screening questions and if they pass, they will be sent on to the health department for further screening.

According to Kansas Health and Environment Secretary Lee Norman, the state can run out of tests by the end of the weekend.

It was announced yesterday that Sedgwick County has its first presumptive positive case of COVID-19 in a county resident. The resident is a female over the age of 60 and is currently in home isolation. The county did not confirm if the patient had traveled recently.

“We knew we were going to have a case, and we’ve had it, and we’re . . . likely to have more,” Sedgwick County Commissioner Pete Meitzner said Thursday evening.

The county is currently working on contacting anyone who may have had interactions with the patient.

As of today, there are 10,442 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., including 37 active cases in Kansas.