Month: August 2021

Storms move through Wyandotte County

More storms are possible Tuesday in Wyandotte County. (National Weather Service graphic)

A storm with heavy lightning and rain moved through Wyandotte County this morning. Storms could continue throughout the day today.

An outage map from the Board of Public Utilities showed about 440 customers without power around 9:32 a.m. Tuesday.

The National Weather Service forecast says more storms are coming today.

The storms will be in the afternoon and evening, generally along and north of I-70, according to the weather service.

The storms could have isolated winds up to 60 mph, brief heavy downpours, isolated hail up to quarter-sized and very low tornado risk, the weather service said.

Wyandotte County also is under an excessive heat warning from 2:50 a.m. Aug. 10 through 8 p.m. Aug. 12, according to the weather service.

The heat index could rise as high as 107 today, the weather service said, with temperatures reaching a high of 96.

Residents are advised to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check on relatives and neighbors, according to the weather service. Never leave children and pets unattended in vehicles. Those who work or spend time outside should take extra precautions. When possible, they should reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening.

Today, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 96 with a heat index as high as 107. A south southwest wind of 10 to 13 mph will gust as high as 22 mph. New rainfall amounts could be less than a tenth of an inch.

Tonight, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 77 with a south southwest wind of 8 to 10 mph, gusting as high as 20 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected.

Wednesday, it will be mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 98 and a heat index as high as 109, the weather service said. A south southwest wind of 10 to 13 mph will gust as high as 22 mph.

Wednesday night, there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 76, according to the weather service. There will be a south southwest wind of 6 to 10 mph.

Thursday, there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m., with a high near 97, the weather service said. A south southwest wind will be 6 to 8 mph.

Thursday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 73, according to the weather service. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected.

Friday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 87, the weather service said.

Friday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 67, according to the weather service.

Saturday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 86, the weather service said.

Saturday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 65, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 83, the weather service said.

Sunday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 65, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 84, the weather service said.

Should Garth Brooks fans quarantine?

Those Kansas fans who went to the Garth Brooks concert last weekend at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, might have to quarantine, according to travel advice from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Kansas recommends quarantines for those people who go to out-of-state gatherings of more than 500 people where they’re not wearing masks.

At a doctors’ medical update Monday morning, Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said he thought a quarantine of Brooks fans was probably unenforceable.

The transmissibility of the Delta variant is almost all about being inside, he said. He understands that being outside and closer together might raise concerns, but he hasn’t seen a lot of major events traced to being outside, he said.

KDHE travel advice states quarantines are recommended: “Attendance at any out-of-state mass gatherings of 500 or more where individuals do not socially distance (6 feet) and wear a mask.”

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, said it’s probably unenforceable although it might be good guidance.

“It’s one more thing to get people thinking about doing the right thing,” Dr. Hawkinson said. “It’s not just one thing that’s going to help stop the spread, it’s multiple things including vaccination, masking, distancing.”

“It’s just one more thing to think about what can we do as a group or individual to help stop the spread of disease,” Dr. Hawkinson said.

For more information from the medical update, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/344511274058631.

Free vaccines available

COVID-19 vaccines and testing will be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10, at the Wilhelmina Gill Center, 645 Nebraska Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Those who complete a COVID-19 test will receive a gift card, while supplies last.

Free COVID-19 vaccines will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday at the Kmart vaccination site, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Vaccines are free for people ages 12 and older. There are gifts available, and a “Spin to Win” promotion is ongoing for Wyandotte County residents, as supplies last.

For more information on the Unified Government Health Department’s vaccine schedule, see WycoVaccines.org.

Mobile vaccines can still be requested online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1 (913-573-5311).

Other sites available for vaccinations


Some doctors’ offices now offer COVID-19 vaccinations. If you haven’t received your vaccination yet, call your doctor’s office to see if it is available now.

Free 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

The University of Kansas Health System reported a big increase in the number of COVID-19 patients over the weekend, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Forty patients with the active virus were active inpatients on Monday, an increase of eight since Friday. Ten were on ventilators, an increase of one since Friday. Seventeen other patients were still hospitalizations because of COVID but were out of the acute infection phase, an increase of three from Friday. There were a total 57 COVID patients, an increase of 11 from Friday.

Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 20,794 cases on Monday, an increase of 169 since Friday, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 313 deaths reported, an increase of one since Friday.

On Wednesday, Aug. 4, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 42.36 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled about 35.87 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 52.1 percent.

The Mid-America Regional Council on Monday reported 181,886 cases in Greater Kansas City, a nine-county area. There were a total of 2,472 deaths. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 125.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 342,196 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Monday, Aug. 9, an increase of 2,669 since Friday, Aug. 6. There was a total of 5,322 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of 23 since Aug. 6.

The KDHE reported 64,998 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on Aug. 6, an increase of 490 since Aug. 6. Leavenworth County had 8,295 cases, an increase of 88 since Aug. 6. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 61,624 cases, an increase of 931 since Aug. 6.

On Monday, there were a cumulative 35,948,170 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with cumulative 617,321 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
There were 773,742 vaccine doses reported administered Sunday in the U.S., with 51 percent of the population fully vaccinated. States reporting large numbers of vaccinations included California, 118,930; Texas, 85,724; Florida, 75,503; New York, 54,724; and Virginia, 36,184.
Countries with high numbers of vaccine administered included Brazil, 74,976,000; China, 12,221,000; Bangladesh, 2,979,000; India, 1,854,000; and U.S., 773,700.
Countries with rising numbers of COVID-19 cases included Iran, 39,619; India, 35,499; United Kingdom, 27,244; Indonesia, 26,415; and U.S., 24,234.

Free testing available

Free COVID-19 testing is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday at the UG Health Department’s central location, the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Free gift cards are available to those who get a test, while supplies last.

Besides Health Department sites, COVID-19 testing is available at several locations in Wyandotte County.

COVID-19 vaccines and testing will be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10, at the Wilhelmina Gill Center, 645 Nebraska Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Those who complete a COVID-19 test will receive a gift card, while supplies last.

Visit gogettested.com/Kansas and https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19 for more sites.

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.

To view the new mask order in Kansas City, Kansas, visit https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/mask-mandate-resolution-r-47-21-effective-august-6-through-september-16-2021.pdf and https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/ug-issues-mask-order-for-kck-and-other-portions-of-wyco.pdf.