Health Department starts vaccinating those 85 and older this week

The Unified Government Health Department on Wednesday announced it is starting to vaccinate Wyandotte County residents who are 85 and older.

A Health Department spokesman, Janell Friesen, said that appointments for those 85 and older were started this week. The highest priority within the 85 and older group will be the oldest ones in the group, she said. Seniors may fill out a vaccine interest form at ughealth.info/vaccine.

The UG Health Department received 1,950 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the state this week, Friesen said. So far, the Health Department’s cumulative total is 11,493 doses of the vaccine, which are mostly first doses, she said. Those vaccines were given at the Health Department site at the former Kmart store at 78th and State.

The numbers do not include any vaccines distributed at long-term care facilities or at the hospitals or clinics in Wyandotte County, she added.

Friesen said the Health Department has vaccinated a lot of critical high-contact workers in Phase 2, but not all of them yet.

She said employers of the critical high-contact workers in grocery stores, food service and food processing are encouraged to get the employees signed up to be vaccinated. All the critical high-contact workers are still eligible to be vaccinated, she added, and they will be worked in alongside the 85 and older individuals.

Friesen said the Health Department is gearing up to open another vaccination site on the west side of Wyandotte County soon, and also is planning one for the east side. They are still completing the details on them, she said.

When the Health Department has a larger vaccine supply, it will have the capacity to do many more vaccinations, she said.

“We want to remind folks to sign up with the vaccine interest form available online,” she said. That form is on the Health Department’s COVID-19 website at https://us.openforms.com/Form/f1edcf18-c07b-4efb-ad0d-49ded26c3000. When a vaccine is available, the Health Department will notify people and an appointment will be made.

Those who do not have access to the internet may call 311 for help with signing up, she said. The Health Department especially wants older adults, 85 and older, to sign up, and relatives or friends can help them sign up, she said.

According to the Health Department, because the supply of vaccine is still very limited, the timeline for vaccinating people who are 65 to 84 will depend on the available supply of vaccine.

“We are so happy to be able to start providing vaccines for seniors in our community, while still offering vaccines to critical workers who are at high risk for exposure,” said Juliann Van Liew, director of the Health Department, in a news release. “As we roll out vaccinations for people age 85 and older, we are beginning with our oldest seniors first, such as those who are 95 and older, because they are more vulnerable to serious illness or death from COVID-19. Unfortunately, vaccine supplies are still limited, but we felt it was important that we start vaccinating these folks given the level of risk they face. As we get additional vaccines, we will begin scheduling younger age groups of our seniors.”

Van Liew said people should not go to the Health Department vaccine facility without an appointment, as walk-in vaccinations are not available.

The high-contact critical workers that the Health Department is still vaccinating include public safety works, police, fire department, EMS and Sheriff’s Department; workers in kindergarten through 12th grade education including teachers, custodians, bus drivers and administrators; child care providers including licensed, in-home child care providers and center child care providers and support staff; public transit workers; U.S. Postal Service workers; Department of Motor Vehicle workers; grocery, food service and food processing workers.

The Health Department is strongly encouraging the employers in the industries to sign up their workers right away because the workers provide essential services, and also, there is an effect on COVID-19 spread in Wyandotte County. More than 20 percent of the outbreaks in Wyandotte County have been in grocery, food services and food processing settings, according to the Health Department.

BPU employees vaccinated

At the Board of Public Utilities virtual meeting Wednesday night, Dennis Dumovich, BPU director of human resources, said about 270 BPU employees have received a COVID-19 vaccine, with around 29 planning to be vaccinated in the next two days.

In all, the BPU will have a little over 300 employees vaccinated by the end of the week, he said.

“We are front-line first responders and we had to wait until our time came up,” Bill Johnson, BPU general manager, said at the meeting. “This is the time for us to go out and get vaccinated.”

The BPU will be coordinating the employees’ second vaccine shots, he said.

In the past months, the BPU had several past COVID-19 positive cases. As of today, Johnson said there are no confirmed positive cases. There are four BPU employees in quarantine, and so far, none has tested positive, he said.

He said the human resources department is working with staff, sending out awareness messages and reminding people to wear masks and maintain distance. Employees are paying attention to the safety precautions, he said.

Kansas to get increase in vaccine next week, governor says

Kansas will receive about 80,550 doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines next week, Gov. Laura Kelly said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Just recently, the state was receiving 45,000 doses a week, so this represents progress, the governor said.

Vaccine distribution still depends on federal supplies of vaccine, Gov. Kelly said. To get through Phase 2 of the vaccination plan, the state needs a significant increase of vaccines from the federal government, she said.

Gov. Kelly said the new Kansas vaccine mapping tool, now online at Kansasvaccine.gov, will help residents locate where vaccines are available in the state.

Currently, not all the vaccination sites have vaccine available to give, but the state’s Find My Vaccine website at https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/160/Find-My-Vaccine will be ready to help residents locate sites that are administering vaccines, when the vaccines become available.

The map will be updated as more vaccine providers sign up and the vaccine supplies increase, she said. It is expected to be updated every day.

To date, 198,350 Kansans have been vaccinated, which is nearly 7 percent of the state’s population, Gov. Kelly said.

The state’s decision to put prison inmates in Phase 2 has drawn some criticism, but Gov. Kelly said they are following CDC and public health guidelines to vaccinate people who live in congregate settings. At this point, Kansas is vaccinating correctional staff. When they finish with the staff, they will move on to inmates who are 65 and older, she said.

Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said at the news conference that people need to continue wearing their masks, social distancing and small gatherings, even though the Super Bowl is coming up this weekend.

“We don’t want this to be a super-spreader,” he said.

Unscheduled topic of vaccine side effects at Wednesday’s COVID-19 KU news conference

Side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine were an unscheduled topic of discussion at the University of Kansas Health System news conference on Wednesday morning.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer of KU Health System, who had received his second dose of Moderna vaccine at the news conference on Tuesday morning, called in sick on Wednesday because of side effects that included chills, fever, headache, nausea and muscle soreness.

Calling into the news conference, Dr. Stites remarked, “It is a bit of a wallop. It does pack a punch.”

Still, he does not think the side effects were very serious or contagious. He expected the symptoms to fade quickly and said he wanted to come back to work soon.

“I’m here to tell you the side effects are real, but they’re very survivable,” he said. It was far better to have side effects from the vaccine than to have COVID-19, he believes.

Preliminary data recently announced from the AstraZeneca vaccine under development has shown that people who receive the vaccine may avoid the disease and keep from spreading it to others, he said.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the KU Health System, said his side effects were a little malaise and fatigue after the second dose of Moderna, but not fever or other symptoms.

Dr. Hawkinson said symptoms after vaccines show that the body’s immune system is starting to work as it should. People who get the vaccine should have immunity regardless of their symptoms, he said.

It is still possible to become infected with the virus from seven to 10 days after being vaccinated, so people are advised to continue wearing a mask and socially distance, according to Dr. Hawkinson.

He encouraged people not to let their guards down with the Super Bowl coming up this weekend, and to avoid large gatherings, wear masks and keep socially distanced.

Dr. David Wild, vice president of performance improvement at the KU Health System, listed symptoms that indicate it’s time to call the doctor.

Those symptoms include trouble breathing, fast heartbeat, skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face or tongue, dizziness or weakness. Those are symptoms that people might have as reactions to a vaccine within two hours of receiving it.

KU Health System reported the total number of COVID-19 cases there has fallen below 100 for the first time in months. Dr. Wild, looking at the number of admissions, said numbers of new COVID-19 hospitalizations here and in Kansas are remaining stable and not decreasing. People still need to be vigilant, wear masks and distance.

COVID-19 case numbers reported

The total number of COVID-19 active and recovering COVID-19 patients at the University of Kansas Health System was under 100 on Wednesday, Feb. 3, for the first time in months. There were a total of 98 patients, a decrease of three from Tuesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. There were 41 active COVID-19 patients in the hospital, an increase of three from Tuesday. Nine of those patients were in the intensive care unit, the same as Tuesday, with six on ventilators, an increase of one from Tuesday. There were another 57 patients hospitalized because of COVID-19 who were out of the acute phase, a decrease of six from Tuesday.

Wyandotte County reported an increase of 44 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, Feb. 3, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative 17,076 cases. There was a cumulative total of 226 deaths, no change since Tuesday.

The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 149,507 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. There were 1,889 cumulative deaths, and 109 was the daily average of new hospitalizations.

The state of Kansas reported 278,915 COVID-19 cases statewide on Wednesday, an increase of 2,247 cases since Wednesday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. There were an additional 86 deaths reported, with a cumulative total of 3,895.

The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Wednesday night reported 26,554,216 cumulative cases in the United States, with 450,680 total deaths nationwide.

Free COVID-19 tests Thursday

Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, at the Vibrant Health Argentine location, 1428 S. 32nd St., Kansas City, Kansas.

Tests are through Vibrant Health and the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force.

No appointment is needed for the test at Vibrant Health. People may be tested whether they have symptoms or not.

COVID-19 tests will be available Thursday, Feb. 4, 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. Appointments are required at the Pierson Community Center. 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 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4. Appointments are not needed for tests. 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 governor’s news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/252521489829194.

The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/103192155039468.
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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.

Vaccine data for the state of Kansas is at https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data.

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.