Month: June 2021

Kuwait, Mongolia, Saint Martin added to Kansas travel quarantine list

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has amended its travel quarantine list to include the countries Kuwait, Mongolia and Saint Martin. The countries of India and Trinidad and Tobago have been removed. These changes were effective as of June 17.

A comprehensive list of those individuals needing to quarantine includes visitors and Kansans who have:


• Traveled on or after June 17 to Kuwait, Mongolia or Saint Martin.
• Traveled on or after June 3 to Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Suriname or Trinidad and Tobago.
• Traveled on or after May 20 to the countries of Costa Rica or French Guiana.
• Traveled on or after May 6 to the countries of India, Maldives or Seychelles.
• Traveled on or after April 22 to the countries of Argentina or Bahrain.
• Traveled on or after April 8 to the country of Uruguay.
• Traveled between June 3 and June 17 to Trinidad and Tobago.
• Traveled between May 6 and June 17 to India.
• Attendance at any out-of-state mass gatherings of 500 or more where individuals do not socially distance (6 feet) and wear a mask.
• Been on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15, 2020.

The travel quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on day 8 and day 11. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s website at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1640/Shortened-Quarantine-Guidance-PDF—3-10-21?bidId=.

For those traveling internationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring testing within three days of flights into the U.S. For further information on this and other requirements, visit the website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.

For those who are fully vaccinated (meaning it has been greater than two weeks since they completed their vaccinations) they are not required to quarantine regarding travel if they meet all of the following criteria:

• Are fully vaccinated (that is, two or more weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2- dose series, or two or more weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine).
• Have remained asymptomatic since the travel.

Persons who do not meet the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel, according to the KDHE.

Additionally, people with previous COVID-19 disease are not required to quarantine following travel if they meet all of the following criteria:

• Have evidence of a previous infection supported by a positive PCR or antigen test.
• Are within 6 months following infection. If an investigation was done documenting the date that symptoms resolved, or the date isolation measures were discontinued for asymptomatic patients, then the 6-month period can start from that end date. If those dates are not available, then the period will start from the date of the positive laboratory test. A serology or antibody test may not be substituted for a laboratory report of a viral diagnostic test.
• Have remained asymptomatic since the travel.

Persons who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel, according to KDHE.

The travel quarantine list is determined using a formula to evaluate new cases over a two-week period, then adjusted for population size to provide a case rate per 100,000 population, KDHE stated. This provides a number that can then be compared to the rate in Kansas. Locations with significantly higher rates — approximately three times higher — are added to the list.


For more information on COVID-19, visit the KDHE website at www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus.

Free walk-in vaccinations available


Free COVID-19 vaccines will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, June 21, at the Vibrant Health Cordell D. Meeks Jr. Clinic, formerly Children’s Mercy West, 4313 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.


The former Kmart store at 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, will be open for free walk-in vaccinations for everyone 12 and older from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 22.

The Unified Government Health Department vaccination hours changed recently. To see the schedule and more information about vaccinations, visit WycoVaccines.org or https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.

Those who receive COVID-19 vaccinations are asked to consider bringing an ID to make the process go faster.

The Health Department is doing more mobile COVID-19 vaccinations, and people may request vaccines to be given at different sites in the community by going to WycoVaccines.org and clicking on “mobile vaccine request.” People also may request a ride to vaccination sites on the same page.

Those who wish to schedule an appointment 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. Walk-in appointments also are welcome.

Those 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.

To see more information about Health Department vaccinations and next week’s schedule, visit WycoVaccines.org.

Other sites available for vaccinations

Vaccinations at KU Health System are open to the public. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to make an appointment to get vaccinated. KU Health System currently is vaccinating residents of Kansas and Missouri who are 12 or older, by appointment only. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the appointment.

There are also pharmacies giving free COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacies, which are now also accepting walk-in vaccinations or appointments, and are starting vaccinations for age 12 and up at those pharmacies that are giving Pfizer vaccine (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/).

CVS has announced walk-in appointments for COVID-19 vaccine at some of its stores. Those interested in getting a vaccination at a CVS pharmacy are asked to visit a CVS website in order to make sure there is vaccine available. The website is at www.cvs.com/. Walgreens and Walmart also were listed on www.vaccines.gov as giving vaccinations.

Other pharmacies and sites giving vaccines are listed at www.vaccines.gov. The website also tells whether vaccines are in stock at the locations.

Case numbers reported

Wyandotte County reported an increase of 13 COVID-19 cases on Friday, June 18, for a cumulative 18,977 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 299 deaths reported, no change. The cases were not updated on Saturday and Sunday.

The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 175,861 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Friday in the Kansas City region. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 54.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 316,539 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Friday, June 18, an increase of 196 cases since Wednesday. There were a total of 5,129 cumulative deaths reported statewide.
According to KDHE figures, Johnson County had a cumulative 59,550 COVID-19 cases on Friday, June 18, an increase of 36 since Wednesday. Sedgwick County had a cumulative 57,732 COVID-19 cases on Friday, June 18, an increase of 44. Leavenworth County had a cumulative 7,291 cases on Friday, June 18.

The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Sunday night reported 33,541,887 cumulative COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 601,824 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 8,520 new cases nationwide and 170 new deaths nationwide.
States with high numbers of new cases were Texas, 1,752; California, 1,261; Arizona, 641; Missouri, 616; and Indiana, 540.
Countries with high numbers of new cases were Brazil, 82,288; India, 58,226; Colombia, 28,734; Russia, 17,679; and U.S., 8,520.

Free testing available

Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, June 21, at the Vibrant Health Cordell D. Meeks Jr. Clinic, formerly Children’s Mercy West, 4313 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.


The former Kmart store at 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, will be open for free COVID-19 testing from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 22.

Wyandotte County residents may contact the Health Department at wycohelp.org to sign up for a test to be delivered to their home.

For more details about free COVID-19 testing offered by the UG Health Department, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19, https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept or call 3-1-1.

The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. The department’s 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 University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/330310795391910.

A vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.

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.

Carjacking suspect dies after exchanging gunfire with police near 18th and Parallel

A 25-year-old male carjacking suspect died after exchanging gunfire with police officers near 18th and Parallel on Sunday.

A spokesman for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department stated in a news release that Kansas City, Missouri, officers were trying to make a traffic stop on the suspect near Independence Avenue and Benton Boulevard at 11:30 a.m. Sunday when the suspect refused to yield, and fled.

Kansas City, Missouri, police officers pursued the suspect’s vehicle into Kansas City, Kansas, where Kansas City, Kansas, officers joined at 11:42 a.m., the spokesman stated.

At 11:47 a.m. the pursuit ended when the suspect’s vehicle crashed behind a convenience store at 18th and Parallel, according to the spokesman.

The Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman stated that the initial investigation, including a review of footage from in-car and body cameras worn by all the officers involved, showed that the suspect exited the vehicle carrying a handgun and ran west toward 18th Street.

During a foot pursuit the suspect turned and fired at police, who returned fire, striking him, the spokesman stated. The suspect was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

The original carjacking incident was reported shortly before noon on Thursday, June 17, near 18th and Garfield in Kansas City, Kansas. The carjacking victim told officers he was giving the suspect a ride when the suspect pulled out a handgun, placing him in fear for his life, and demanded the vehicle, the spokesman stated. The suspect then fled in the vehicle, a dark Ford Expedition with gold trim, according to the spokesman.

Questions such as how many shots were fired, if more than one officer fired, and what agencies may have been involved in the shooting have not been answered yet and could be part of the investigation being conducted by a multi-agency task force.

The multi-agency task force is made up of members of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department and the Wyandotte County district attorney’s office, the spokesman stated.

Anyone with information or with video footage from this incident is asked to contact the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS, the police spokesman stated.

Sporting falls 2-1 to Timbers

Sporting Kansas City (5-3-2, 17 points) saw its four-game unbeaten run come to an end in a narrow 2-1 road loss to the Portland Timbers (4-4-0, 12 points) on Saturday night at Providence Park in Oregon.

Homegrown defender Jaylin Lindsey tallied his second goal of the season to give the visitors a first-half lead, but the Timbers struck twice before halftime through Dairon Asprilla and Marvin Loria to claim victory.

Still occupying second place in the Western Conference, Sporting will look to bounce back Wednesday when they play host to the third-place Colorado Rapids in a longtime rivalry match at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. showdown are available at SeatGeek.com as former captain and goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen is inducted into the Sporting Legends hall of honor. Supporters can also catch the action live on Bally Sports Kansas City Plus and Bally Sports Midwest Plus.

With his team entering a busy stretch of three games in eight days, manager Peter Vermes made a trio of lineup changes from last weekend’s 1-1 home draw against Austin FC.

Midfielder Felipe Hernandez earned his first start of the season, replacing the injured Remi Walter, while Lindsey stepped in for the hamstrung right back Graham Zusi. In attack, striker Alan Pulido returned from international duty with Mexico to lead the front line as Khiry Shelton dropped to the bench.

Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia entered the weekend with four clean sheets in five regular season appearances at Providence Park and stymied the home side within three minutes on Saturday. Asprilla was played into space on the left wing and sent a low, driven delivery into the box for Jeremy Ebobisse, whose backheel flick was palmed aside by Melia.

A delicately poised battle delivered its first goal off the foot of Lindsey in the 28th minute. Center back Andreu Fontas slipped a long through ball into the running lane of Luis Matins, whose cutback pass found Pulido at the top of the box.

His initial shot was blocked but Pulido did well to keep possession along the left endline and uncorked a deflected cross that reached Lindsey on the opposite side of the penalty area. The 21-year-old Sporting KC Academy product sent a superb first-time effort into the top right corner for his second goal in as many away matches.

The Timbers took only eight minutes to restore parity. An in-swinging Diego Valeri free kick was nodded clear only as far as Asprilla, whose initial strike was repelled by Lindsey. The Colombian found the back of the net with his second bite of the apple by beating Melia on a shot that nestled inside the near post.

The visitors suffered another setback on the stroke of halftime as Loria fired Portland ahead. The attacker went on a surging run into the box and saw his attempted pass carom fortuitously off Lindsey and skip back into his own path for the simplest of close-range finishes.

Loria bagged his second goal of the campaign on the play as Sporting fell behind for the eighth time in 10 games this year.

Sporting’s captain almost equalized two minutes into the second half as Johnny Russell’s turf-trimming strike was cast aside by the outstretched foot of Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark.

The chance fell to the winger seconds after Pulido’s shot was blocked. Clark thwarted Russell once more on the hour mark, dropping to save his curler and extinguish the danger.

Hernandez went agonizingly close to opening his MLS scoring account in the 67th minute. Another wave of Sporting pressure culminated with a Russell shot that pinged off a Portland defender and bounced to the 22-year-old homegrown midfielder, whose venomous blast at the top of the penalty area deflected inches wide of the mark.

Portland’s hearts were in their throats again in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. Lindsey’s searching pass from the right wing fizzed across the face of the goal to Pulido, who took a touch before rifling inches wide of the near post and into the side netting.

The missed opportunity proved to be Sporting’s final look of the evening as the Timbers clung on to collect all three points.

  • Story from Sporting KC