Friday will be a mostly dry day, with increasing clouds by late morning and early afternoon, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
Northeast winds may gust up to 15 to 20 mph, the weather service said.
Rain chances increase late Friday night and Saturday morning for areas south of I-70, and will increase by late Saturday morning, according to the weather service.
Rain also is possible Saturday night, the weather service said.
Friday’s high will be near 62; Saturday will be colder, with a high of 49, according to the weather service. For the next week, high temperatures may be in the 50s. Sunday night’s low will drop below freezing.
Thanksgiving Day’s high temperature will be about 55.
Today, it will be mostly sunny, with a high of 62 and a north northeast wind of 9 to 13 mph, the weather service said.
Tonight, there is a 20 percent chance of rain after 5 a.m., with a low of 43, according to the weather service, and a northeast wind of 8 mph.
Saturday, there is a 70 percent chance of rain, mainly after noon, with a high of 49, and an east northeast wind of 8 to 10 mph the weather service said. From a quarter to a half-inch of rain is possible.
Saturday night, there is a 60 percent chance of rain, mainly before midnight, with a low of 39, according to the weather service. An east northeast wind of 5 to 9 mph will become light north northeast after midnight. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.
Sunday, the high will be near 52 with cloudy skies, gradually clearing, the weather service said. A light north wind will become northwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
Sunday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 30, according to the weather service.
Monday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 49, the weather service said.
Monday night, there is a 50 percent chance of rain, with a low of 43, according to the weather service.
Tuesday, there is a 50 percent chance of rain, with a high near 56, the weather service said.
Tuesday night, there is a 40 percent chance of rain before midnight, with a low of 38, according to the weather service.
Wednesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 55, the weather service said.
Wednesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 39, according to the weather service.
Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 55, the weather service said.
The victim of a fatal accident on Thursday at 18th and Merriam Lane has been identified, according to a Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman.
The passenger who died was identified as Stacy D. Hansen, 47, a resident of Kansas City, Kansas, according to the spokesman.
An initial investigation revealed that a vehicle was southbound on 18th Street when it took the ramp to Merriam Lane, according to the spokesman. At the bottom of the ramp, the vehicle continued south across Merriam Lane and off the roadway, where it wrecked, the spokesman stated.
The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, according to the spokesman.
The accident is under investigation by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department’s Fatality Accident team, the spokesman stated.
New COVID-19 restrictions went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday in Wyandotte County.
The new order is what made the most sense to slow down the virus in Wyandotte County and the metropolitan area, said Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer for the county. He spoke at the 7 p.m. Thursday Unified Government Commission meeting on Zoom.
The new order limits persons in a building, facility or room to 50 percent of capacity, as long as social distancing can be maintained. That includes restaurants, bars, venues, movies, gyms, casinos and meetings, along with other buildings.
The order also puts into effect a restaurant and bar curfew of 10 p.m.
“We think there is high risk of transmission in these settings,” Dr. Greiner said. “The later it gets and the more beverages people have had, the more they will be talking loud or possibly not distancing as well as they would otherwise. We realize this is tough, but we think it is the right thing to do.”
The restaurant and bar restrictions also state that patrons must be seated, and that parties must be eight persons or fewer, and distanced from others.
There also is a gathering limit of 10 people where social distancing can’t be maintained, according to Dr. Greiner. If social distancing can’t be guaranteed, it shouldn’t happen, he said.
There is a little gray area between 50 percent of occupancy and gatherings of 10, he said, so there is a form on the UG’s COVID-19 webpage that allows people to describe their situation and get an answer from the Health Department.
Although the cumulative number of cases is lower in Wyandotte County than in Johnson County and Kansas City, Missouri, the rate per 100,000 is higher in Wyandotte County. (UG Health Department graphic)
Juliann Van Liew, UG Health Department director, said although there are fewer cases than surrounding jurisdictions and fewer deaths here, the rates per 100,000 persons here are significantly higher in cases and deaths.
The rolling seven-day average of new cases in Wyandotte County is now about 100 per day, which is about three times what it was eight weeks ago, Van Liew said. It puts a significant burden on testing and contact tracing abilities, she said.
Deaths in recent days were at zero, but she said she expected the number of deaths to increase, based on the case numbers.
The percent positivity was 28.8 percent for all testing in Wyandotte County, Van Liew said. The tests were for both symptomatic and asymptomatic persons.
“What we’re really seeing here is substantial uncontrolled community spread of COVID-19,” Van Liew said.
Wyandotte County had a spike in the summer in COVID-19 cases, then the case numbers went down with a mask mandate, according to Health Department officials. The numbers have gone back up again. (UG Health Department graphic)
Wyandotte County had a spike in the summer and was able to reduce the numbers in August and September, she said. A lot of the reduction was due to mask-wearing, she said. However, there has been a drastic uptick in the past few weeks which is quickly becoming exponential, she said.
“We’ve watched Johnson County and KC, Mo., and Jackson County be a little further than us in terms of how quickly their cases are rising, but we now are starting unfortunately to follow suit,” Van Liew said.
The 20-to-29 age group has the most COVID-19 cases in Wyandotte County. (UG Health Department graphic)
Dr. Erin Corriveau, deputy health officer for the Health Department, said the infection rate is higher in the younger population in Wyandotte County. A Health Department chart showed the most cases in the 20-to-29 age group, followed by the 30-to-39 and the 40-to-49 age groups.
It’s good that there aren’t as many deaths among the younger population, but health officials think the younger population is contributing to the spread of the disease quite a bit, she said.
There were 147 student cases this semester, 37 staff cases this semester; and 56 cases since Nov. 1 in the schools. (UG Health Department graphic)
She said the Health Department has been in close touch with the schools during this pandemic. A chart showed the number of cases in the school districts that held in-person classes this semester. There was a total of 147 student cases this semester; 37 staff cases this semester; and 56 cases since Nov. 1.
“We can see that since Nov. 1 we’re seeing an uptick in community spread, just as Juliann alluded to,” Dr. Corriveau said.
Hospital capacity is still a major concern, she said. There are concerns about available beds and staffing, and the same concern is all over Kansas and Missouri, and beyond to the region.
“With the flu season coming, we’re very concerned. Please get your flu shot,” she said. “We don’t want to see hospitalizations for the flu on top of COVID-19; I just don’t think our hospitals could take it.”
Dr. Greiner said people gathering indoors for Thanksgiving is a bad idea at this time.
“This year, people need to consider strongly staying with those they stay in the same household with, and not mingling with other households,” he said.
The Health Department strongly recommends against travel for Thanksgiving, according to Dr. Greiner. Those who do gather should seek testing in the days just before gathering, he added.
In answer to a question from Commissioner Gayle Townsend about churches not being mentioned specifically in the health order, Dr. Greiner said they have asked in the health order that weddings or funerals adhere to the 10-person or fewer order.
However, he said the Health Department was advised by the UG Legal Department not to have anything specifically mentioning faith-based or religious activities.
Dr. Greiner said they still recommend that churches and religious gatherings practice social distancing, and wear masks. It’s not recommended to sing, he said.
Commissioner Mike Kane said he would like to see the UG Commission meet with the local school boards and Health Department so they could hear what was being said to schools, so they know how the schools feel and could jointly come up with a solution.
Wyandotte County reported an additional 123 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, for a cumulative total of 9,818, according to the UG COVID-19 website. There were four additional deaths reported Thursday, for a cumulative total of 171.
The Kansas City region, a nine-county area, reported 78,151 total COVID-19 cases on Thursday, according to the Mid-America Regional Council’s Kansas City Region COVID-19 resource hub. Average daily new cases were trending down over the last week. Hospitalization rates for COVID-19 were trending up in the nine-county area, according to the resource hub.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States increased to 11,717,827 on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University figures.
The number of COVID-19 patients dropped on Thursday at the University of Kansas Health System. According to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, there were 77 acute COVID-19 patients hospitalized, a decrease from 85 on Wednesday, with 36 in the intensive care unit, an increase from 32 on Wednesday, and 13 on ventilators. Another 45 COVID-19 patients were past the acute phase, which has increased from 41 on Wednesday. The total was 122 COVID-19 patients, a decrease from 126 patients on Wednesday.
HaysMed in Hays, Kansas, reported 36 COVID-19 inpatients, and three of them were in the recovery phase, an increase from 30 on Wednesday.
The doctors said they hoped that the farther they get from Halloween events, where the virus might have spread, and the more people wear masks, the more the numbers might drop. The doctors said they supported the governor’s statewide mask mandate and the new local health orders, as it will help keep businesses and hospitals open.
Vaccines very promising, doctors say
During the news conference, Dr. Mario Castro was upbeat about the AstraZeneca vaccine trial that KU Medical Center is participating in.
Two other vaccine trials, by Pfizer and Moderna, are likely to have emergency use authorization soon, and Dr. Castro said they are showing 90 to 95 percent effectiveness. He was thrilled with that result, as they had expected 60 percent.
Dr. Castro said the most common side effects are minor, including muscle aches, headaches and soreness, which went away after a day after taking a pain reliever.
“The protection is unbelievable and will bend the curve in Kansas City,” he said about the vaccines.
Trials are still going on and need to be completed before receiving full FDA approval, he said. Persons who are still interested in enrolling in the AstraZeneca trial may call Shelby at 913-574-3006 to sign up, or enroll online at preventcovid.org and enter KUMC. Two thirds of the participants will receive the trial vaccine, while one-third getting the placebo will later receive the real vaccine when the FDA gives its approval.
Dr. Barbara Pahud of Children’s Mercy Hospital said they are trying to enroll diverse groups in the trials, and they use a van that travels to locations where they are trying to reach participants.
Each of the different vaccines may be suited to different communities based on its distribution methods, she said. Dr. Pahud said it may be a year before there is enough vaccine for all Americans.
Dr. Mark Steele of Truman Medical Center said COVID-19 patient numbers were slightly lower on Thursday after a record earlier this week. The hospital had the same challenges of bed space and staffing as other area hospitals.
Truman and the KU Health System have access to freezers of 70 below zero that are needed for one of the vaccines, because of their affiliation with medical schools that need them for research.
He believes the community will accept the vaccines if health care workers are very transparent about them, telling people about risks and benefits.
According to Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, they are able to staff all of their beds, and some patients may need to be shifted to alternate care areas. Putting up “MASH tents” wouldn’t be a good idea because they couldn’t staff them, according to Dr. Stites.
“Right now the whole country is on fire, and the only way to put out that fire is with good infection control measures,” he said. Masking clearly works, he added.
Free COVID-19 testing available on Friday
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at South Park Recreation Center, 246 Shadyside Ave., Bonner Springs, Kansas.
The test is for anyone who lives or works in Wyandotte County. No registration is required. Those who are tested must be at least 2 years old.
The pop-up test is through Vibrant Health, the city of Bonner Springs and the Unified Government Health Department.
The Unified Government Health Department has moved its COVID-19 testing from the 6th and Ann location to the former Kmart at 78th and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. The hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tests are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. The tests are now saliva COVID-19 tests.
The tests now are open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
