Statewide COVID-19 numbers are showing dramatic improvement, according to the Kansas health secretary.
Dr. Lee Norman said during a University of Kansas Health System news conference on Tuesday morning that the three-day period between Friday and Monday showed an increase of 2,602 cases statewide, and it would have been 6,000 or 7,000 four to six weeks ago.
A similar decline has been seen in the rate of COVID-19 deaths, according to Dr. Norman.
Dr. Norman said White House figures showed that new cases in Kansas dropped 24 percent in the last week, positive test results dropped by a third, and deaths were reduced 73 percent.
It’s encouraging that they are not seeing a big uptick from the New Year’s holiday, he said.
He said hospitals throughout the state are seeing more manageable inpatient numbers and a reduction in the numbers of staff being out for illness or quarantine.
Dr. Norman’s remarks came as the world surpassed the 100 million number of COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 tracker.
Also on Tuesday, from the White House, President Joe Biden pledged that the administration will buy 200 million more doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, with the goal of 300 million vaccinations in the United States by the end of summer.
Dr. Norman said currently, the biggest problem with vaccines is there’s too little of it.
This week Kansas received 45,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, he said. Over a quarter of a million doses total have been distributed to Kansas.
The federal database showed that 61 percent of the vaccine here has been administered, but Dr. Norman said he knows the number is higher than that. The doctors estimated it at about 80 percent.
The nation at large, with 41 million doses distributed, has a vaccination rate of about 54 percent, he said. Kansas is outproducing the nationwide average on that, he added.
According to Dr. Norman, some of the health care staffs do not have enough training on the software being used to report the vaccines. Many are giving the vaccines and then reporting them in batches, instead of reporting them one by one, according to the doctors. Still others, particularly in rural Kansas, do not have adequate internet access to allow them to report these numbers in a timely fashion.
He said 684 long-term care facilities will be vaccinated through the federal pharmacy program, with 60 to 65 percent of them have been vaccinated, and most of the rest of them within a week or two. From 40 to 45 percent of the long-term care staff have been vaccinated at this time, he said. Some are choosing not to be vaccinated.
Dr. Norman said they are doing more genomic sequencing, especially if an outbreak acts differently. The state did epidemiological tracking at a jail where there was a cluster of cases that broke out, he said. They found it came in through food service workers, he said.
It’s another example of why correctional facilities and congregate settings need to be immunized, he said.
Dr. Norman said he would like to do mass vaccination clinics with 1,500 to 2,000 vaccines given in a single day, but spreading 45,000 doses to 105 counties is a challenge.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control and KU Health System, received his second dose of the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday. After he received his shot from Adam Meier, Dr. Hawkinson was told to keep wearing his mask, keep social distancing and continue to practice good hygiene, even though he has received both doses of the vaccine.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, said 72 percent of the KU Health System employees now have received the vaccine. Since they are not seeing serious problems with side effects, the vaccine hesitancy numbers are dropping, he said.
Kansas has been sending vaccine to every local health department in the state, Dr. Norman said. They also have been sending vaccine to health clinics. More and more providers are signing up, he said, including doctor’s offices, commercial pharmacies and other settings. United Methodist Ministries is planning for some Methodist churches to be vaccination sites, he said. The state is planning to put all the vaccination sites on its website this week, he said.
Besides vaccinating its own employees, KU Health System has been vaccinating some of their 65 and older patients, as well as some 65 and older persons in the community, according to the doctors. A form should be filled out, and vaccinations should be scheduled. The form is online at https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/patient-visitor/covid19-update/covid-vaccine-form.
The Unified Government Health Department has prioritized vaccinating essential workers in Phase 2, and the 65 and older group will be vaccinated toward the end of Phase 2 in Wyandotte County. Anyone who lives or works in Wyandotte County and who wishes to receive the vaccine may fill out the survey or vaccine interest form at the Health Department website at https://us.openforms.com/Form/f1edcf18-c07b-4efb-ad0d-49ded26c3000. The Health Department will contact residents to schedule a vaccination, when they have available vaccine.
A large group of workers who are in the process of receiving vaccines at the Health Department are teachers and school district staff.
Elizabeth Morris, health services coordinator for the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, reported at Tuesday night’s KCKPS school board meeting that more than 2,500 staff members responded that they were interested in receiving COVID-19 vaccines as soon as it was available.
On Thursday last week, the Health Department had 400 doses available to begin vaccinations, and this week, it was expanded to 1,000, Morris said during the meeting.
While the vaccines will be available to the entire school district staff, the district began to prioritize employees first according to their face-to-face contact with students and the community, she said. Some of those groups include special education staff, ESL staff, custodians, tradesmen, and substitute teachers, she said.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is optional for employees and is not required, she said. There is no cost and all employees are granted time off from work to receive vaccinations.
Morris said the best benefit of it is that those who receive two doses of vaccine will not be required to quarantine if they are exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
The school district is in remote learning currently, with some special education and ESL students returning. There are plans for about 1,800 students, along with staff, to return in mid-February. These are mostly students who were having connectivity issues and were unable to access the technology necessary to connect to their classes remotely.
COVID-19 case numbers reported
The University of Kansas Health System reported 63 active COVID-19 patients in the hospital, an increase of five since Monday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. There were 16 patients in the intensive care unit, no change from Monday, and 11 of the ICU patients were on ventilators on Tuesday, a decrease of one since Monday. There were an additional 57 COVID-19 patients hospitalized who were out of the acute phase, a decrease of two since Monday. There was a total of 120 COVID-19 patients, an increase of three since Monday.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 120 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Jan. 26, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative 16,791 cases. There was a cumulative total of 221 deaths, an increase of one since Monday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 143,614 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Monday. There were 1,746 cumulative deaths, and 131 was the daily average of new hospitalizations.
The state of Kansas reported 269,255 COVID-19 cases statewide on Monday, an increase of 2,602 cases since Friday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. There were an additional 24 deaths reported, with a cumulative total of 3,622.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday night reported 25,439,570 total cumulative cases in the United States, with 425,119 total deaths nationwide. The number of global cases surpassed 100 million on Tuesday, with 100,20,535 worldwide, and 2,157,349 deaths worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 dashboard.
Free COVID-19 testing available Wednesday
COVID-19 tests will be available Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the Pierson Community Center parking lot, 1800 S. 55th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Hours are subject to change depending on the weather and other factors. These tests are through WellHealth Management. For more information and to schedule a test, visit www.GoGetTested.com/Kansas.
The Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 test site at the former Kmart building at 78th and State will be open on Wednesday, Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To see if there is any change to the schedule, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
The UG Health Department recently added flu testing to the COVID-19 test at the Kmart building. Only one swab is used for the two tests. The Health Department estimates a two- to three-day wait for COVID-19 results. For the flu, the department only contacts people if it is positive.
Tests from the Health Department are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. The tests are nasopharyngeal swab tests. The Health Department no longer uses 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.
Wyandotte County residents who are interested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine may fill out a survey form at the UG Health Department at https://us.openforms.com/Form/2f2bcc68-3b6a-450b-9007-d39819db6572. Residents will be contacted to make an appointment when vaccine becomes available.
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.
For more information about the testing site at the former Kmart location, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/10092020_newtestingsitewyco.pdf.
The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/835993897237603.
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The new health order on hours for bars and restaurants is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/localhealthofficerorder011221.pdf.
Information about the new health order on extended hours for bars and restaurants is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/01112021ugissuesnewbarrestaurantorder.pdf.
The school health order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/localhealthofficerschoolorder01042021.pdf.
A letter explaining the school health order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/schoolletter_01052021_english.pdf.
To see information about the UG giving vaccines to health care workers, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-to-start-giving-covid-19-vaccines-to-health-department-and-ems-personnel-next-week/.
The KDHE vaccine report is at https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-12121?bidId=
Cards and letters of encouragement for caregivers at KU Health System may be sent to Share Joy, care of Patient Relations, 4000 Cambridge St., Mailstop 1021, Kansas City, Kansas, 66160. Emails can be sent to [email protected].
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask and social distancing order.
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.