Local groups including the Black Health Care Coalition have launched efforts to convince people that it’s safe to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Melissa Robinson, president of the coalition and also a councilwoman in Kansas City, Missouri, said the organization is reaching out to local influencers to get information out about health care and the safety of the vaccine. She spoke during the Wednesday morning news conference at the University of Kansas Health System.
Robinson said they want to work with barbers, beauticians, faith leaders and other people with strong networks in the community to get the message out that the vaccines are safe. She is encouraging people to reach out to others on Facebook and social media in “The Science is Safe” campaign.
Together, they will educate and inform people about the COVID-19 vaccines, she said.
Recently, reports have surfaced that some urban areas in Greater Kansas City are receiving less vaccine than some suburban areas.
If individuals have access to health care, then her organization can have an effect on the health inequities they see in the African-American community, Robinson said.
Some vaccine hesitancy among minorities may be coming from past experiments that medical professionals conducted on them without the individuals’ consent.
Robinson said when they have a population with a deep distrust of the medical system, her organization has to make sure they give them knowledge and information to make those decisions for themselves. “Having that information is so critical,” she said.
The Black Health Care Coalition has been working for 32 years to get health care to people and to address health inequities, she said. The organization was begun by a group of African-American physicians who started a clinic to give back to the community.
Robinson discussed institutional racism, including in medical institutions, and described historical events that have caused mistrust, including medical experimentation on the Tuskegee airmen without their permission.
Bias also exists in medical classrooms, she said. Students have been taught that African-Americans do not experience as much pain as others.
“Often, physicians consider African-Americans are noncompliant,” Robinson said. “There is no such thing as a noncompliant patient, only a noncompatible treatment plan.”
More conversations are necessary between patients and medical providers, educating about individual risks, she said.
Efforts currently are being made to get more vaccine in neighborhoods, she said. This week, there was an announcement of a partnership with a pharmacy to hold a vaccination clinic at the Linwood YMCA, she said. Truman Medical Center also has been working to offer vaccinations at local churches, she said.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the KU Health System, said the Wyandotte County Health Department has been working with communities of color on the plans for vaccination. They have been reaching into shelters and also working with ministers to make sure everyone is represented.
The KU Health System has been assisting in the Johnson County Health Department vaccinations, and has been contacting people on the health system’s patient list who are in the vaccine priority groups.
Robinson said she was happy to see that safety net clinics are starting to get more vaccine.
She also said the group is looking at possibly placing vaccination sites at election sites to make sure everyone has access.
At a separate 4 p.m. news conference in Topeka, Gov. Laura Kelly said her administration is working with Kansas communities of color on access to information and vaccines.
She said the state is paying close attention to the balance of vaccine distribution to urban and rural areas, modifying it to make sure it is proportional to their size.
New vaccine closer to being approved
Gov. Kelly said a new analysis from the FDA showed the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine provides strong protection against severe illness and death. One of the main differences between it and the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is that Johnson and Johnson only requires one dose. It’s also easier to store, she said. It may open up opportunities to widely vaccinate the public, she said.
The FDA could authorize the new vaccine for emergency use as early as Saturday, and Kansas could begin receiving doses as early as next week, she said.
Dr. Stites said the news about Johnson and Johnson vaccine’s effectiveness was “great news, as good as we could have hoped for.” The FDA’s information about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is at https://www.fda.gov/media/146217/download.
Gov. Kelly said the number of other vaccine doses from the federal government to Kansas is increasing steadily. Next week, the state will receive about 125,000 Moderna and Pfizer doses, an increase from last week’s 115,000, she said. Additional vaccines are coming into pharmacies and to some safety net clinics next week, she added.
The governor issued an executive order on Wednesday authorizing more people to be able to administer the vaccines. The group includes pharmacy students, dentists, paramedics and other health care professions will be authorized to administer vaccines, she said. The group already administers other vaccines in their work, she added.
The governor also supported a Medicaid expansion bill introduced on Wednesday by Rep. Brandon Woodard, D-Lenexa, that would expand health care coverage in Kansas. The bill also establishes a regulatory framework to make Kansas the 48th state to legalize medical marijuana, she said.
“In the face of the worst public health crisis our country has seen in a century, I’m even more committed to delivering health care and jobs and support for our hospitals through Medicaid expansion,” Gov. Kelly said.
If legislators fail to pass the bill, billions of Kansas taxpayers’ dollars will go to other states to take care of their citizens, their hospitals and their economy, she said.
COVID-19 case numbers reported
Doctors at KU Health System reported a decrease in COVID-19 patients on Wednesday morning, and the hospital is only using one intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients for the first time in some months. The total number of COVID-19 active and recovering COVID-19 patients at the University of Kansas Health System was 60 on Wednesday, down 10 from Tuesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. There were 27 active COVID-19 patients in the hospital, a decrease of six from Tuesday. Seven of those patients were in the intensive care unit, a decrease of four from Tuesday. Five of those were on ventilators, a decrease of one since Tuesday. There were another 33 patients hospitalized because of COVID-19 who were out of the acute phase, a decrease of four since Tuesday.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 14 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, Feb. 24, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative 17,529 cases. There was a cumulative total of 265 deaths reported, the same number as Tuesday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 154,032 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 94. MARC also reported a delay in data verification from one of the nine counties, affecting data for cases, deaths and tests, but not for hospitalizations.
The state of Kansas reported 292,837 COVID-19 cases statewide on Wednesday, an increase of 1,122 cases since Monday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. There were an additional 81 deaths reported, with a cumulative total of 4,724.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Wednesday night reported 28,334,981 cases in the United States, with 505,808 total deaths nationwide.
COVID-19 tests scheduled Thursday
Free COVID-19 tests will be offered from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Vibrant Health Argentine location, 1428 S. 32nd St., Kansas City, Kansas. An appointment is not necessary.
Those who get tested at the Vibrant Health Clinic in Argentine will receive a free box of groceries, while supplies last. The COVID-19 test used will be the nasal swab PCR test. For more information, see https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
The Pierson Community Center COVID-19 testing site at 831 S. 55th is open at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. Appointments are required, check with the website, www.gogettested.com/Kansas, for appointments.
Unified Government COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites are scheduled to be open on Thursday. Those seeking vaccinations need to have an appointment, while those seeking COVID-19 testing may walk in and get a test kit.
The Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 test site at the former Kmart building at 78th and State will be open Thursday, Feb. 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments are not needed for COVID-19 tests there on Thursday. To see if there is any change to the schedule, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
The Health Department is offering saliva COVID-19 tests to the public.
Tests from the Health Department are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County.
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. The Health Department currently is vaccinating high-contact critical workers, as well as residents over 65.
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.
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 online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/257519145849636.
Gov. Kelly’s news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/167433801857085.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/806512689941175.
For more information about how Wyandotte County residents over 85 can get a vaccine at the Health Department site, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/02032021_wycovaccinationsage85.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.
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.