Month: June 2020

Racing returns to Kansas Speedway July 23-25

Kansas Speedway will return to racing July 23-25 in Kansas City, Kansas.

According to an announcement today, Speedway officials stated that there will be five races across four series. The NASCAR Cup Series Kansas 400 will return at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 23, to commence the lineup of events, according to track officials.

Also on the schedule are a NASCAR Xfinity Series race July 25, a pair of NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoor Truck Series racing on July 24 and 25. Gander is at 6 p.m. July 24 and the Xfinity race is at 4 p.m. July 25.

An ARCA Menards Series race is scheduled at 9 p.m. July 24.

The races will be televised nationally, according to Kansas Speedway.

Track officials stated that the races are scheduled currently to run without fans. The speedway will be working closely with state and local officials to determine if it is possible to have fans attend the events, according to track officials.

“We are excited to be a part of NASCAR’s return to racing,” Kansas Speedway President Pat Warren said in a news release. “This is an important first step in the resumption of sports to the Kansas City area, and we feel a deep sense of responsibility to play an integral role in that process. The health and safety of our fans, teams, officials, and the entire NASCAR community are paramount.”

At tonight’s Unified Government Commission meeting, Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer for Wyandotte County, said he and Unified Government Administrator Doug Bach had a good meeting on Wednesday with speedway officials.

KDHE preparing to use antibody testing for COVID-19 at state labs

Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Lee Norman said the KDHE is now certifying the process to use antibody testing at the state labs.

Before now, antibody tests have not been specific for COVID-19, and the tests formerly gave a positive result for the common cold as well as COVID-19. Dr. Norman made his remarks at a news conference Thursday sponsored by the University of Kansas Health System.

According to Dr. Norman, those who tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies could think they are immune, and he said that has not been proven. He also said the antibody test is not a diagnostic test. He also planned to testify about the importance of contact tracing.

Dr. Rachael Liesman, director of microbiology at the KU Health System, said the health system is about two weeks away from being ready for antibody testing. She said the current PCR, or nasal swab, is still the best way to diagnose COVID-19 and said it’s still to be determined how antibody testing will fit in.

Rick Couldry, vice president of pharmacy and health professions at KU Health System, said he expects antibody testing will be widely available. He didn’t think it’s suited for drive-through testing like the nasal swab, since it will require a finger prick or a blood draw, which is best done in a lab. He also explained how the labs, clinics and the outpatient pharmacy have changed to become much safer for patients.

The University of Kansas Health System on Thursday morning saw a slight decrease in the number of COVID-19 patients, with 13 patients are being treated for the virus, down from 16 Wednesday. There were three COVID-19 patients on ventilators. All patients have been moved to one unit, so there are none in the intensive care unit.