September 2020 – Page 24 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Free COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic people begins Monday

There were an additional 25 COVID-19 cases reported Sunday in Wyandotte County, according to the UG COVID-19 webpage. The cumulative total of cases is 6,580. There were no additional deaths; the number of deaths stayed the same as Saturday, at a cumulative 133. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)

Free COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic people begins Monday in Wyandotte County.

The tests at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann and at pop-up testing locations previously were only for those who had symptoms and those who were close contacts of people who tested positive for COVID-19.

According to an announcement on Thursday, appointments are not necessary. The tests are only for those who live or work in Wyandotte County.

Local health officials said in the announcement that asymptomatic people are known to have spread COVID-19. They can prevent the spread of COVID-19 by more testing, identifying people who have the disease and quarantining them.

Testing will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Health Department parking lot, 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. People should bring an item such as a piece of mail or a work badge to show they live or work in Wyandotte County.

Free pop-up testing is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 21, at Oak Ridge Missionary Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. The free pop-up testing is through the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force and Vibrant Health.

See an earlier story at https://wyandotteonline.com/covid-19-test-rules-change-in-wyandotte-county-to-include-those-without-symptoms/.

There were an additional 25 COVID-19 cases reported Sunday in Wyandotte County, according to the UG COVID-19 webpage. The cumulative total of cases is 6,580. There were no additional deaths; the number of deaths stayed the same as Saturday, at a cumulative 133.

There were a cumulative 39,742 COVID-19 cases reported on Sunday for the nine-county Kansas City area, according to the KC Region COVID-19 Resource Hub. The average number of daily new cases for the past seven days in the KC Region was 250, which is trending downward.

More information about testing is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19, or call 311.

The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

The Unified Government COVID-19 hub outbreak map at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.

To see an NEA list of schools that have had COVID-19 cases, visit https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=aa3f2ede7cb2415db943fdaf45866d2f.

The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.

The Unified Government Health Department is collecting input on people’s experiences getting tested for COVID-19 in Wyandotte County. The survey is on the UG website at https://us.openforms.com/Form/ea97a450-3d74-4d86-8d1f-6e340d55cf7c.

The UG Health Department new school and sports guidance is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/09042020fallsportsrecommendations.pdf.

A previous UG sports order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/08132020localhealthofficerorderregardingsports.pdf.

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 KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.

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

New music service available online from library

The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library is offering a new music service, the Freegal Music Service from Library Ideas, for online patrons.

Library patrons who have registered library cards can download and stream a select number of MP3-formatted tracks each month at no direct cost via 3-week song downloads or 3-hour streaming weekly.

The library’s subscription pays for access to the music, according to a news release.

The Freegal Music service allows patrons to access a collection spanning over 15 million songs, music videos and audiobooks from more than 40,000 music labels worldwide including Sony Music, Epic, RCA, and Columbia.

Freegal Music also offers a completely rebuilt mobile app and website which uses modern application practices to ensure an easy-to-use and enjoyable experience. The free application is available for library cardholders and can be downloaded in the Apple App Store and Google Play store.

“Freegal is kind of like Spotify or Apple Music—where you can create playlists and stream music. I often find that Freegal Music also helps me discover new artists and recall songs that I have long forgotten. Freegal [also] allows me to go back and rediscover those songs and artists that I wasn’t ready to discover then but am now—sometimes on librarian-curated playlists! I use this service almost every day,” said Steven. V. Potter Mid Continent Public Library director and CEO, on the MCPL blog.

Library Ideas is a global leader in providing digital content to all kinds of libraries, and is located in Vienna, Virginia. Its email address is [email protected].

Information from Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library, kckpl.org

Smoke from wildfires could have an effect on COVID-19 patients and those with lung conditions

Wyandotte County reported an additional 47 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, for a cumulative total of 6,555, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported Saturday; the cumulative total was 133. (From the UG COVID-19 webpage)

People who have shortness of breath with COVID-19 potentially could be affected by smoke in the atmosphere, and forecasters say there is a possibility that smoke could reach the surface on Monday in the Kansas City area.

At a University of Kansas Health System news conference on Friday, Sept. 18, doctors discussed the haziness in the skies caused by wildfires in the western United States. At that time the smoke was in the upper atmosphere here, not close to the ground.

The smoke itself isn’t making people more susceptible to getting COVID-19, and COVID-19 doesn’t survive in the blowing smoke, but there are some other health concerns with the smoke that health officials are discussing.

So far, the smoke hasn’t affected the surface atmosphere much in the Kansas City area, but that could change on Monday when some surface-based smoke could move into the area, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

People who are affected by the smoke are most likely to have underlying problems such as asthma, according to Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System.

In answer to a question, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, director of medical prevention and control at KU Health System, said the coronavirus itself is not being carried over several states in the smoke. Also, the smoke doesn’t make people more likely to get COVID-19, he said.

Amanda Gartner, RN, director of quality and safety at the KU Health System, said the smoke is affecting respiratory and allergy-type symptoms. Hays, Kansas, health care personnel recently were reporting more allergies and sneezing with the smoky skies.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued some guidance on dealing with the smoke in the atmosphere.

While most of the smoke remains high in the atmosphere, there are times when it is being observed at the surface and affecting air quality, according to the KDHE. Some of the health problems caused by the smoke include burning eyes, runny nose, coughing and illnesses such as bronchitis.

Those who have respiratory issues, pre-existing heart or lung diseases, children and elderly may experience worse symptoms, according to the KDHE.

The KDHE recommended, on days when particulate matter is present in the community, that healthy people should limit or avoid strenuous outdoor exercise. People with respiratory illness or heart-related illness should remain indoors, KDHE said.

People who are experiencing COVID-19 like symptoms, in particular respiratory or heart-related symptoms, who are currently infected or recently recovered, should stay indoors, according to KDHE.

In addition, KDHE recommended keeping indoor air clean by closing doors and windows and running the air conditioners with air filters; and keep hydrated by drinking lots of water.

Those who have symptoms such as chest pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath or severe fatigue should contact their doctors, according to the KDHE.

Current air quality across the U.S. can be viewed online at https://fire.airnow.gov/.

Wyandotte County reported an additional 47 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, for a cumulative total of 6,555, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported Saturday; the cumulative total was 133.

The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/726939051218838.

Some information about the possibility of smoke in the air on Monday is at https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=EAX&issuedby=EAX&product=AFD&format=CI&version=6&glossary=1.

Information from KDHE about potential air quality effects of the smoke is at https://khap2.kdhe.state.ks.us/NewsRelease/PDFs/9-18%20wildfire.pdf.