With the increased presence of the Delta variant in the region, free COVID-19 vaccine and testing clinics are being continued throughout Kansas, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Although infection rates have declined in the state, the emergency of the new variant poses a unique risk to communities across Kansas, the KDHE stated.
Kansans should stay safe by continuing to social distance and wear masks while around unvaccinated people, according to the KDHE.
These vaccine events are part of a sustained effort to mobilize Kansans to get vaccinated and for unvaccinated Kansans to get tested to stop the spread of COVID-19 in order to protect themselves and loved ones, the spokesman stated.
According to the CDC, the Delta variant is 60 percent more transmissible than the B-117 variant, which was previously the dominant strain. The new variant appears to be spreading most quickly in communities that have the lowest vaccination rates, the KDHE stated.
Clinics have been scheduled in Lawrence, Emporia, Topeka, and Hutchinson.
The Unified Government Health Department is continuing its vaccination clinics at the Kmart site at 7836 State Ave.
The vaccine clinic is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, July 9, for people who are age 12 and older. There also will be mobile clinics throughout the community.
The Health Department is continuing to offer incentives such as an opportunity to win prizes and gift cards, while supplies last, to those who get vaccinated and tested for COVID-19.
Two of the upcoming Health Department special vaccination events will be at the Kansas City Monarchs game on Sunday, July 11, and again on Tuesday, July 13. Gates will open at noon Sunday and at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Legends Field, 1800 Village West Parkway. Those who get a free vaccine will have a chance to enter a drawing for a free suite at an upcoming Monarchs game.
At the Thursday morning media update at the University of Kansas Health System, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, recommended avoiding travel to any areas with high rates of COVID-19 spread, especially for unvaccinated people. If you can’t avoid traveling to the areas with high rates of spread, make sure you get a vaccine, according to Dr. Hawkinson.
Wearing a mask and social distancing are still important in high-risk areas, but being outdoors provides lower risks of infection, according to Dr. Hawkinson. For more information, see https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/2915861785336587..
Free COVID-19 vaccines available
The Unified Government Health Department’s central vaccine location at the former Kmart store, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, will be open to those age 12 and older from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, July 9. Walk-ins will be accepted. For more information, see WycoVaccines.org.
Hours the week of July 5:
• Kmart site (7836 State Ave, Kansas City, Kansas)
o Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. – vaccine and testing incentives available.
• Closed: Armory site (100 S. 20th St, Kansas City, Kansas
Mobile vaccines can still be requested online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1 (913-573-5311).
Other sites available for vaccinations
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
There were 16 active COVID-19 patients on Thursday morning at the University of Kansas Health System, a decrease of two from Wednesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Six patients were in the intensive care unit, the same as Wednesday. One patient was on a ventilator.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 16 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, July 8, since Wednesday, for a cumulative 19,212 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 300 deaths reported, the same as Wednesday.
On Wednesday, July 7, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 36.9 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled 32.03 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 45.4 percent.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 178,597 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Thursday in the Kansas City region. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 64.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 319,586 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Wednesday, July 7, an increase of 1,071 since July 2. There was a total of 5,166 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of seven since July 2.
The KDHE reported 60,246 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on July 7, an increase of 270 since July 2. Leavenworth County had 7,375 cases, an increase of 27 since July 2. Sedgwick County reported 58,195 cases, an increase of 103 since July 2.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Thursday night reported 33,790,468 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 606,475 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 22,931 new cases nationwide and 312 new deaths nationwide.
States with high numbers of new cases were Texas, 4,388; California, 2,139; Missouri, 1,659; Alabama, 1,613; and Louisiana, 1,226.
Countries with high numbers of new cases were Brazil, 54,022; India, 45,892; Indonesia, 34,379; United Kingdom, 32,061; and U.S., 22,931, according to Johns Hopkins information.
Free testing available
Free COVID-19 testing is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, July 9, at the UG Health Departments central location, the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
Besides Health Department sites, free COVID-19 testing is available at several locations in Wyandotte County.
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.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. The department’s 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 morning media update is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/2915861785336587.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/330310795391910.
A vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.
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.