The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has amended its travel quarantine list to add Colorado and the countries of Cabo Verde, India, Maldives and Seychelles.
Several locations are removed from the list, including New Jersey and New York, as well as the countries of Andorra, Aruba, Bermuda, Curacao, France, Hungary, Poland and Serbia.
A comprehensive list of those individuals needing to quarantine includes visitors and Kansans who have:
• Traveled on or after May 6 to Colorado or the countries of Cabo Verde, India, Maldives and Seychelles.
• Traveled on or after April 22 to Minnesota or the countries of Argentina, Bahrain, Croatia, Cyprus, Sweden and Turkey.
• Traveled on or after April 8 to Pennsylvania or the country of Uruguay.
• Traveled on or after March 26 to Delaware, Michigan or Rhode Island.
• Traveled on or after March 12 to the country of state of Palestine.
• Traveled between April 22 and May 6 to Aruba or France.
• Traveled between April 8 and May 6 to Andorra, Bermuda, Curacao, Poland or Serbia.
• Traveled between March 26 and May 6 to Hungary.
• Traveled between March 12 and May 6 to New Jersey or New York.
• 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.
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 their 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 (2 weeks or more following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or 2 weeks or more following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine).
• Are within 6 months following receipt of the last dose in the series.
• 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.
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.
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. This provides a number that can then be compared to the rate in Kansas. Locations with significantly higher rates — approximately 3 times higher — are added to the list.
For more information on COVID-19, visit the KDHE website at www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus.
Free vaccinations available Monday
Free walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations will be available for everyone over age 16 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 10, at the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, and at the former Best Buy, 10500 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
The schedule of vaccinations will be changing this week. To see the new schedule and more information about vaccinations, visit WycoVaccines.org or https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
The Health Department will be doing more mobile 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.
UG Health Department vaccinations are now open to people from other counties and states. People may walk in for vaccinations or can schedule them.
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 vaccination
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.
There are also pharmacies giving free COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacy at 76th and State Avenue, and 81st and State Avenue (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/), and Medicine Shoppe pharmacy at 65th and Parallel by appointment when available (see https://www.facebook.com/The-Medicine-Shoppe-Kansas-City-281548241870522).
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/.
Other pharmacies and sites giving vaccines are listed at www.vaccines.gov.
Case numbers reported
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 13 COVID-19 cases on Friday, May 7, for a cumulative 18,552 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 292 deaths reported, an increase of one. The figures were not updated on Saturday and Sunday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 171,602 cumulative COVID-19 cases.. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 60.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 310,582 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Friday, May 7, an increase of 467 cases since Wednesday, May 5. There were a total cumulative 5,016 deaths reported statewide, an increase of 17.
KDHE reported that Johnson County had 58,253 cumulative cases on Friday, an increase of 119 cases since Wednesday. Leavenworth County had 7,224 cumulative cases, an increase of 12 cases since Wednesday. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 56,475 cumulative cases on Friday, an increase of 114 cases since Wednesday.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Sunday night reported 32,707,631 cumulative COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 581,754 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 34,493 new cases nationwide and 615 new deaths nationwide.
States with the highest number of new cases were Florida, 3,977; New York, 3,064; Michigan, 2,577; Pennsylvania, 2,280; and Illinois, 1,730.
Countries with the highest number of new cases were India, 403,405; Brazil, 63,430; U.S., 34,493; France, 20,745; and Peru, 20,599, according to Johns Hopkins information.
Free testing available Monday
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 8 a.m. to noon Monday, May 10, at Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. No appointment is needed. People can get tested regardless of symptoms or exposure.
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 10, at the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, and at the former Best Buy, 10500 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. For information about UG Health Department COVID-19 testing sites and hours, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. To see if there is any change to the schedule, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept. Appointments are not needed.
One of the WellHealth sites for free COVID-19 testing is open beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, May 10,, at Lowe’s at 6920 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Appointments are required. For more information, to see other testing sites and to make an appointment, visit https://www.gogettested.com/kansas.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. Their 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/292961702392386.
A weekly vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.
Information about the new mask ordinance passed April 29, which loosened restrictions in Wyandotte County, is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/updatedwycomaskorder04302021.pdf. The new mask order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/amend-lho-may-6-2021.pdf.
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.