Hot weather continues this week, with a high near 94 today, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
The heat index will range from the low to upper 90s this week, the weather service said.
Dry weather is expected for most of the area at least through the end of the work week, according to the weather service. Rain is in the forecast for Friday night and Saturday.
Today, it will be sunny with a high near 94 and a south southwest wind of 7 mph, the weather service said.
Tonight, it will be clear, with a low of 71 and a south wind of 5 to 7 mph, according to the weather service.
Wednesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 96 and a south wind of 6 to 9 mph, the weather service said.
Wednesday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 72 and a south wind around 6 mph, according to the weather service.
Thursday, it will be sunny with a high near 92 and a south wind of 3 to 7 mph, the weather service said.
Thursday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 71, according to the weather service.
Friday, it will be sunny with a high near 94, the weather service said.
Friday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m., with a low of 70, according to the weather service.
Saturday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 84, the weather service said.
Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 64.
Sunday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 84, the weather service said.
Sunday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 70, according to the weather service.
Monday, there is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 85, the weather service said.
COVID-19 case numbers went up more than 1,500 in Kansas over the weekend. (Chart from KDHE)Wyandotte County reported 5,619 total cumulative COVID-19 cases on Monday, an increase of 22 since Sunday, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported; the cumulative total was 111. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)In the state’s cluster report, colleges or universities were reported to have six clusters and 82 cases, according to KDHE information. (KDHE chart)
Kansas COVID-19 numbers are moving in the wrong direction, according to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly.
Kansas had 1,545 positive cases and seven more deaths since Friday, according to Gov. Kelly. That brought the state to a cumulative total of 38,401 cases and 426 deaths on Monday. In Wyandotte County, however, the rates have been declining recently.
Now, all of Kansas’ 105 counties have at least one COVID-19 case, according to the governor.
“In these moments it can become easy to become desensitized by the numbers as they continue to grow,” Gov. Kelly said at the 4 p.m. news conference Monday.
The positive infection rate continues an alarming trend in the wrong direction for Kansas, she said.
“To make matters worse, as college students return to campus, we’ve experienced a rise in clusters stemming from mass gatherings at six of our campuses and at one fraternity,” she said.
An initial round of testing has found that 87 University of Kansas students and two faculty members have tested positive for COVID-19, she said.
In Manhattan, Kansas, 13 members of a single fraternity at K-State have tested positive, she said.
KDHE informed her on Monday that one Kansas college student has been hospitalized with what is suspected to be multi-system inflammatory syndrome, associated with COVID-19. She offered her best wishes for recovery for the student and all who are battling COVID-19.
“Please let this serve as a reminder, let’s take the threat of COVID-19 seriously,” she said.
As schools start to open, people must be more diligent, she said. Children can catch and spread the virus, and while they may be asymptomatic, their families and teachers may not be, she added.
Masks, social distancing and sanitation are necessary to stop the spread of the virus, not only in the schools but in communities, she added. She encouraged parents and adults to lead by example and wear masks.
“We must continue to be diligent, to wear masks and to social distance. Our health, our economy and our schools depend upon it,” she said.
Wyandotte County reported 5,619 total cumulative COVID-19 cases on Monday, an increase of 22 since Sunday, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported; the cumulative total was 111.
At the University of Kansas Health System, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, reported 25 COVID-19 acute patients on Monday morning, an increase of five since Sunday. There were 10 patients in the intensive care unit and six on ventilators, he said. There are still 30 patients in the hospital who have had COVID-19 and are past the 10 days and are not considered contagious. Two of those still need ventilators.
Doctors invent tent to keep patients safer
Doctors in the KU Health System have invented a way to keep patients and staff safer, especially in the operating room.
Anesthesiologists invented the “contagion tent,” a small, clear plastic tent that will unfold quickly and lock together quickly, being placed over the patient’s head while the patient is on the operating table, according to a news conference on Monday at KU Health System.
Dr. Jay Nachtigal, Dr. Jared Staab and Dr. Brigid Flynn were among the anesthesiologists working on the project. Dr. Nachtigal said the device was designed to be portable, disposable and affordable. The device could follow a patient during the patient’s entire stay at a hospital, according to the inventors. Also, it’s possible it might be used in ambulances. Health care providers may not need as much personal protective equipment with it, according to the inventors.
The device has negative air pressure as well as airtight openings to allow doctors to put gloved hands inside to manipulate equipment.
Biomedical Devices of Kansas in Tonganoxie built the prototype. Doctors started making the device in a garage. They also worked on it in a lab.
Doctors hope that the device will receive Food and Drug Administration approval, perhaps emergency use authorization at first.
Free testing offered
Free COVID-19 testing is planned from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, at All Saints parish, 811 Vermont, Kansas City, Kansas, through Vibrant Health and the Health Equity Task Force.
Free testing also is offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, call 311.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website athttps://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Informationor call 311 for more information.
Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday appointed Carl A. Folsom III of Lawrence, Kansas, to the Kansas Court of Appeals.
It is his second appointment. If his appointment is approved by the Senate, he would replace Judge Steve Leben, who is retiring. The Senate may consider his appointment during the next legislative session.
The Senate earlier rejected the governor’s appointment of Folsom to replace Judge G. Joseph Pierron, who retired.
“Carl is not only an extremely bright lawyer, but he also has a passion for the practice of law and a real understanding of how it affects Kansans’ daily lives,” Gov. Kelly said. “Carl is not afraid to stand up for the people of our state and protect their fundamental rights, no matter the cost. During the interview process, he once again stood out as a qualified candidate who will serve Kansans well on the Court of Appeals, with fairness and compassion.”
Durng a news conference Monday afternoon, Gov. Kelly said Folsom is the most qualified candidate, he knows the struggles of Kansans who face economic security and he would go the extra mile to protect rights.
Gov. Kelly said when the Senate initially rejected Folsom’s nomination, she was quite clear about how disappointed and appalled she was. Since then she has heard from a number of senators who regret the vote, she added.
“I fully expect the Senate will come back and do the right thing this time and confirm Folsom to the Court of Appeals,” Gov. Kelly said.
According to the governor’s office, although a rejected candidate cannot be appointed to the same position again, this appointment is for a different position, replacing a different person.
Folsom, who grew up in Tonganoxie, is currently an assistant federal public defender. He has represented indigent defendants in the Kansas Appellate Defender’s Office, worked in private practice in civil and criminal cases, and was an assistant federal public defender. He also has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Kansas School of Law.
He graduated with honors from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in political science, and also graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 2005.
