The Unified Government Health Department will be starting an initiative for reducing vaccine hesitancy in Wyandotte County.
The Health Department recently received a $200,000 grant to help with the UG’s COVID Rapid Response effort, according to Wesley McKain, program supervisor at the Health Department. He spoke at a Unified Government Committee meeting Monday night.
The grant from the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation will be used in outreach efforts especially to the vaccine hesitant in Wyandotte County, according to McKain. The money may be used to support vaccination initiatives of deploying community health workers, developing faith-based partnerships, and volunteer engagement.
Wyandotte County, while vaccination numbers are improving, is far short of the suggested 70 to 85 percent that needs to be vaccinated for herd immunity. UG data from April 21, the most recently available, showed that 26.6 percent of Wyandotte County residents, or about 44,000, had had at least one COVID-19 shot, while 17.3 percent had completed their vaccinations. These figures on how many Wyandotte County residents have been vaccinated are on the UG Health Department’s vaccine website at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-vaccines-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/wyco-resident-vaccine-data. The Health Department also has other figures about how many vaccines it has given out — a different number because it includes vaccines that have been given by the Health Department to residents and nonresidents alike. The figures are updated each Wednesday.
Kansas City, Missouri, on Monday announced it would loosen some COVID-19 restrictions, including no restricted capacity for restaurants and bars, beginning April 30. Masks will not be required outdoors, or indoors in private spaces where at least 6 feet of social distancing is maintained. The masks still will be required indoors in public spaces unless everyone has been fully vaccinated. Kansas City, Missouri, has a question-and-answer page about its new regulations at https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/departments/health/coronavirus-covid-19-kcmo-information-and-response/reopen.
Wyandotte County did not announce any changes to restrictions on Monday, but it has scheduled a UG Zoom special session at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 29, including a COVID health ordinance.
The state of Kansas, meanwhile, reinstated the Johnson and Johnson vaccine on Monday.
“Today, Kansas will resume administering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine,” Gov. Laura Kelly said in a news release. “After a brief pause and a thorough review, the CDC and FDA have determined the vaccine is safe and effective. Whether it’s the Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer or Moderna, I strongly encourage every Kansan to get vaccinated as soon as they can.”
The FDA and CDC recommended on April 23 that Johnson and Johnson vaccine administration resume in the United States. Vaccine administrators are urged to read the CDC’s guidelines on the vaccine, which have been updated. The guidelines now have information about reactions and thrombosis (see https://www.fda.gov/media/146304/download).
Kansas should receive about 1,700 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine on the week of May 3, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
At the University of Kansas Health System’s news conference on Monday morning, doctors noted that India is currently being hit very hard by COVID-19, with hospitals full and not enough oxygen available. According to Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, and Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, the situation is an outcome of loosening restrictions, combined with the arrival of the B 1.1.7. variant, new mutations and not enough vaccine.
Restrictions, good health measures and vaccinations have begun to get the virus under control again in places such as Michigan, where numbers recently were up, according to Dr. Stites.
According to the doctors KU Health System has vaccination spots open and anyone interested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine.
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri, a guest at the news conference, said he supports mask wearing. Everyone in his offices also wears a mask, he said. When he recently met with the President, he said he was required to take a COVID test three hours prior to it, and then he was required to wear another mask in the meeting.
Rep. Cleaver said he doesn’t get in the middle of the local government’s debates.
“Let me just say I think there is always danger in underestimating the potency of a virus running wild,” Rep. Cleaver said. “We ought to be extra careful about relaxing the mask wearing and large gatherings. I’m still afraid of super spreader events.”
Although he loves football, if the medical world says they shouldn’t put 75,000 people into a stadium, he said he would advise people to follow the advice.
Free walk-in vaccinations available
Free walk-in vaccinations will be available for Wyandotte County residents from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, at three Unified Government Health Department locations.
The three locations are the former Kmart store at 78th and State; the Kansas National Guard Armory at 18th and Ridge, Kansas City, Kansas; and the former Best Buy location at 10500 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
Wyandotte County residents 18 and older and those who work in Wyandotte County may walk in for a COVID-19 vaccination during open hours. Appointments also are being scheduled for the Health Department vaccine sites.
All Kansas residents can make an appointment to be vaccinated at any of the Health Department’s vaccination facilities on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Kansas residents who wish to schedule an appointment or any Wyandotte County resident may use the Health Department’s self-scheduling tool at WycoVaccines.org and click on a blue button that says, “Click here to schedule an appointment online.” The page is available in Spanish by clicking at the top of the page.
Wyandotte County residents who don’t have an internet connection may call 3-1-1 or 913-573-5311 for assistance in scheduling their vaccination appointment time and date.
People coming in for an appointment may be asked to show they live in Kansas, such as showing a driver’s license, a piece of mail addressed to them, or similar paperwork.
To see more information about Health Department vaccinations and next week’s schedule, visit WycoVaccines.org.
Other sites available for vaccinations
KU Health System offers vaccinations seven days a week at different locations. Appointments are required. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to see if vaccines are available.
The University of Kansas Health System also has vaccinations for Wyandotte and Johnson county residents. Any residents of Kansas can call to get an appointment whether they are patients or not at the health system.
There are also pharmacies giving COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacy at 76th and State Avenue, and 81st and State Avenue (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/), and Medicine Shoppe pharmacy at 65th and Parallel by appointment when available (see https://www.facebook.com/The-Medicine-Shoppe-Kansas-City-281548241870522). CVS pharmacy also has announced that it will offer COVID-19 vaccines at one of its stores in Kansas City, Kansas. Registration is at CVS.com.
Case numbers reported
The University of Kansas Health System reported COVID-19 cases are staying level. There were 11 active COVID-19 patients on Monday morning, an increase of one since Friday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Of the 11 patients, five were in the intensive care unit, the same as Friday. Four patients were on a ventilator, an increase of one since Friday. There were another 11 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized but are out of the acute infection phase, an increase of three. There is a total 22 patients, an increase of four since Friday.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 37 COVID-19 cases on Monday, April 26, for a cumulative 18,394 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 290 deaths reported, no change from Friday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 169,474 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Monday. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 59. The number of cumulative deaths was 2,378.
The state of Kansas reported 307,865 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Monday, April 26, an increase of 493 cases since Friday. There were a total cumulative 4,970 deaths reported statewide, an increase of two. KDHE reported that Johnson County had 57,588 cumulative cases, an increase of 153 cases since Friday. Leavenworth County had 7,166 cumulative cases, an increase of 13 cases since Friday.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Monday night reported 32,124,369 cumulative cases in the United States, with 572,666 total deaths reported nationwide. Florida has the highest number of cases of the states, with 4,671 new cases, according to Johns Hopkins COVID-19 figures. India has the highest number of cases in the world, with 352,991 new cases, according to the figures.
Free testing available Tuesday
Free COVID-19 testing will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday, April 27, at All Saints parish, 811 Vermont, Kansas City, Kansas. The test is in conjunction with the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force.
Unified Government Health Department COVID-19 will have three free COVID-19 testing sites open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 27. The sites are the former Best Buy store at 10500 Parallel Parkway; the former Kmart store at 7836 State Ave.; and the Kansas National Guard Armory at 100 S. 20th St. (near 18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas.
For more information, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. To see if there is any change to the schedule, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept. Appointments are not needed.
Tests from the Health Department are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. They are saliva tests.
The tests 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.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
Testing sites are at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. There are more test sites listed on this page.
Saliva testing is now offered at the UG Health Department. For more information, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/02042021-ugphd-saliva-testing-available.pdf.
The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/825664374823929.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/292961702392386.
A weekly vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.
Wyandotte County has a local mask and social distancing ordinance approved by the UG Commission. The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The Wyandotte County page on the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 website is at https://bao.arcgis.com/covid-19/jhu/county/20209.html.
The Johns Hopkins Data in Motion, a presentation on critical COVID-19 data in the past 24 hours, is at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-daily-video.