Today’s temperatures will reach a high of mid-80s, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
A dense fog this morning was lifting by 9 a.m. and was not expected to affect the weather for the rest of the day.
Highs in the mid-80s will continue through Friday, the weather service said. The Labor Day weekend forecast is 87 degrees for Saturday, 89 for Sunday and 78 for Monday, Labor Day. There will be a chance of rain on Monday night.
The cold front moving into the area on Labor Day might herald a change to autumn temperatures in the 60s and 70s.
Today, it will be sunny with a high near 86 and a light north wind, the weather service said.
Tonight, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 67, according to the weather service. A light and variable wind will become south around 6 mph in the evening.
Thursday, it will be sunny with a high near 84 and a southwest wind of 7 to 13 mph becoming north in the afternoon, the weather service said.
Thursday night, it will be clear, with a low of 57 and a north wind of 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening, according to the weather service.
Friday, it will be sunny, with a high near 83 and a calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon, the weather service said.
Friday night it will be mostly clear, with a low of 63, according to the weather service.
Saturday, it will be sunny, with a high near 87, the weather service said.
Saturday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 68, according to the weather service.
Sunday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 89, the weather service said.
Sunday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 62, according to the weather service.
Monday, Labor Day, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 78, the weather service said.
Monday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 57, according to the weather service.
Tuesday, there is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 67, the weather service said.
Wyandotte County reported an additional 28 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday afternoon, with a cumulative total of 5,953. There was one additional death, for a cumulative total of 114. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)
For Scott and Shannon Bruegge, COVID-19 was an ordeal.
Scott Bruegge, of Tonganoxie, noticed symptoms around mid-March, he said at a news conference Tuesday at the University of Kansas Health System.
A test that took five or six days to get results confirmed it was COVID-19, and his condition worsened. He had a cough, low-grade fever, then later lost his sense of taste and smell, had a higher fever, diarrhea, aches and shortness of breath.
Shannon dropped him off at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Because of rules for visitors, she was only able to see him a limited number of times.
Dr. Krishna Rangarajan, LMH Health pulmonologist, recalled that after admission, Bruegge’s condition worsened at night, and he had to be intubated by emergency room physicians.
It took 10 days on the ventilator for him to slowly start to recover, Dr. Rangarajan said. The reality of Scott’s situation was pretty grim, he said, because once patients got on a ventilator, often they didn’t do well. They hoped Scott’s age was in his favor. He slowly improved.
Bruegge, who had never been hospitalized before, said it was probably a month until he got back to his old self. Walking was a challenge at first, he said. He lost a little muscle in his upper body, and had to get it back to start helping with groceries and cooking.
“It really brought to light, once a disease course sets in, how detrimental it can be,” said Dr. Christopher Brychel, an infectious disease specialists at LMH.
Care of the COVID-19 patients has changed since then, with remdesivir and convalescent plasma available now, he said.
Lawrence and Douglas County have changed in case numbers, also since that time, he said. Douglas County is nearly 1,400, and a few months ago it was in the single digits, he said. They had some upticks in cases with the Phase 3 reopening, along with bars reopening. Masking went into effect and bars closed, with the numbers going down, he added.
Now with increased testing of students entering KU, they are seeing a sharp uptake in cases, with 800 of the 1,400 cases coming from the 18 to 24 age group, Dr. Brychel said.
Continuing to screen, quarantine, isolate positive cases, hand hygiene and wearing masks will be crucial to having a school year and for the health and welfare of the community, he said.
Bruegge had some advice for other people: “Until we’re out of this, until there is a vaccine, wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands often and sanitize. Treat everyone like they have this. Love each other and pray.”
The University of Kansas Health System reported 27 acute COVID-19 patients on Tuesday morning, down from 36 on Monday morning, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. There were six patients in the intensive care unit and four on ventilators. In addition, there are 32 COVID-19 patients recovering, and past the acute phase, who are in the hospital, he said.
Wyandotte County reported an additional 28 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday afternoon, with a cumulative total of 5,953. There was one additional death, for a cumulative total of 114.
Free testing offered
Free COVID-19 testing is planned from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, at Judson Baptist Church, 8300 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
The tests are offered through Swope Health and the Health Equity Task Force.
Free testing also is offered for those who live and work in Wyandotte County 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.
