Month: August 2020

Doctors say violence has increased, along with COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 cases increased by 108 on Tuesday in Wyandotte County, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There was one additional death. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)

As COVID-19 cases continue to increase in Kansas, there has also been an increase in violence, according to a trauma injury prevention education specialist at the University of Kansas Health System.

Olivia Desmarais, RN, former trauma nurse and now a trauma prevention education specialist, at a Tuesday news conference discussed violence against those who are 12 to 24 years old. Violence has increased in that group, and some believe it is tied to COVID-19 and increased stresses in society.

Desmarais discussed the Reducing Effects of Violence through Intervention and Victim Empowerment (REVIVE) program, which helps connect victims of violence with community programs.

Damon Daniel, president of the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, said that violence is the leading cause of death among 10 to 14 year olds. The Ad Hoc group is one of several programs working with the REVIVE program to help change violence.

Daniel said violence is a learned behavior and people should strive for change while practicing forgiveness.

Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson said lack of employment and economic insecurity is one reason behind the increase in violence during the pandemic. She said it is a community-wide problem, and she was grateful that this program can help bring resources together. She discussed ways the community can help.

Also speaking at the news conference was Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Lee Norman. Dr. Norman said the KDHE has a new video feature, “Faces of COVID,” which includes first-hand accounts from Kansas residents who have dealt with the virus.

One video featured a 42-year-old mother of four, Amy Carrillo, from Lawrence, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March. While she didn’t think much about it at first, later her symptoms worsened. She experienced severe chest pain, and was in bed for a month. The symptoms lasted four months, and only in the past few weeks, her lungs stopped hurting.

Dr. Norman said the state is seeing 360 new cases a day, and he hoped that by sharing their own personal stories, the COVID-19 patients will reach people and help lower the number of new cases with Labor Day and school reopening approaching.

Dr. Norman said he anticipated an increase in cases around Labor Day, when people traditionally get together, and some could let their guards down.

He also expected to see higher numbers when schools are in session and the weather gets colder. Currently the state is seeing higher numbers of positive cases, and at the same time, the overall 14-day trend line is better, the hospitalization rate is better and the death rate is better. He said on balance, people are taking the masks more seriously. Overall, it’s improving with some problem areas, he added.

Since governments are not giving mandatory orders at the federal and state levels on COVID-19, Dr. Norman said people need to take the responsibility individually, and all need to “own our own preparedness.”

COVID-19 cases increased by 108 on Tuesday in Wyandotte County, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There was one more death from Monday.

KU Health System reported 27 patients in the hospital for COVID-19, down from 30 on Monday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection control and prevention at KU Health System. Six of the patients were in the intensive care unit, with five on ventilators, the same as Monday. After peaking at 36 patients last week, doctors hope the trend continues to decline as Labor Day approaches, with reopening of schools.

Free testing offered


Free COVID-19 testing is planned from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, at Zotung Christian Church, 5010 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
The pop-up test is offered 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 on who may be tested and what to bring, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.


The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/1005880593185089


The Wyandotte County school start order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

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 at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.


The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

Exits closed on eastbound I-70 in downtown KCK

An exit was closed on eastbound I-70 near 5th Street on Tuesday, according to KC Scout. Trucks were unloading materials to be used for construction on the westbound lanes. (KC Scout photo)
An exit was closed on eastbound I-70 near 5th Street on Tuesday, according to KC Scout. Trucks were unloading materials to be used for construction on the westbound lanes. (KC Scout photo)

Good total turnout seen in primary election so far

A 25.9 percent total voter turnout has been seen at the polls in Wyandotte County through 12:30 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 4, according to Election Commissioner Bruce Newby.

Newby said 8,535 mail ballots have come back so far, which is added to 2,121 early voters in person and 4,521 voters in person at the polling places through 12:30 p.m. today, for a total of 15,177 votes so far.

There are a total of 58,546 registered Democrats and Republicans eligible to vote in the primary here, he said.

Early this morning, there was good activity at each polling place, but not on the level that they will expect at the general election, he added. None of the polling places was overwhelmed.

The polling places are practicing social distancing and taking other health precautionary measures.

Many voters opted for mail ballots this year because of the potential risk of COVID-19, Newby confirmed.

The election office sent out 11,616 mail ballots, with an 80 percent return on them so far, he said. Voters who have received mail ballots may fill them out and drop them off at any polling place today before 7 p.m. They also can mail them back, if they can get a Tuesday postmark on them. The mailed ballots will have to be received in the mail at the election office by Friday.

In the past, only about 50 percent of those who received a mail ballot here actually voted, he added. The higher return this time showed that people were genuinely motivated to vote, he added.

Of those who showed up in person to vote today, most of them were wearing masks on their own, Newby said. However, because of the nature of the election and the constitutional right to vote, the election office cannot prevent anybody from voting, whether they have a mask on or not, he said. Election workers will not be requiring anyone to wear a mask.

“We hope they would protect themselves with a mask,” he added. While not allowed to require voters to wear a mask, he still has a personal opinion about it. He hoped that if a person was experiencing symptoms or was positive for COVID-19, that person would have asked for a ballot by mail. If they show up at the polling place, not wearing a mask and are symptomatic, they would have just exposed all the election workers, and the average age of an election worker is 72, he said.

“One of the things that is amazing to me, with all the things we’ve read lately about COVID-19 rates at Wyandotte County and the KC metro, we still have too many people not taking this seriously,” Newby said.

The election office provided masks for all the election workers, but it didn’t have the budget to provide 80,000 voters with a mask, he added.

They are giving a pen to voters who are voting in person this year. The voters use a pen to sign the poll book and also to fill out their ballots, and they can keep the pen this year, he said. It is not being shared among voters because of health risks. Also, voters who choose to vote on touch screens are being given a disposable Q-tip on a long stick, he added.

Because there might still be some ballots in the mail, the results that are announced tonight will be unofficial, he said. Final unofficial results will be announced on Friday, and official results will be announced after the voter canvass Aug. 17, he added.