Health officials in Wyandotte County would like to see kids wearing masks in schools.
At the morning medical update Tuesday at the University of Kansas Health System, Juliann van Liew, Unified Government Health Department director, said they are worried some Wyandotte County school districts are not going to have a mask mandate. A couple are still meeting about a masking policy, she added.
They’re worried that schools could become “hotboxes” for COVID, she said.
Some teachers may be immunocompromised and possibly at risk for getting COVID even if they’re vaccinated. Or they may go home to others in their household that may be at risk because of health reasons.
“Schools are not in a silo, they are part of the community,” Van Liew said. What happens there results in repercussions for the rest of the community.
Wyandotte County is seeing uncontrolled community spread, as are other parts of the metropolitan area, she said. While it is good that people are coming in to get vaccinated, it has mostly been in small numbers, and isn’t effective for two to four weeks.
“What masks do is offer the opportunity to intervene today,” Van Liew said. Vaccination is a long-term solution, while masks are a shorter-term solution that can stop the spread of the disease immediately, she added.
Last Thursday, the Unified Government Commission took schools out of the countywide mask mandate for indoor public spaces, and they also exempted Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. Each school district’s board now can set its own mask rules.
Van Liew said during a public hearing, they heard some untrue myths mentioned by the public. One myth was that kids were not affected by COVID. But she said there have been 400 deaths of children from COVID, as reported by the CDC in July.
Another myth that was repeated was that masks don’t work. She said after decades of wearing masks in operating rooms, they know that masks work.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson said the best advice is for children to wear masks at schools. Vaccination helps when children are old enough to get the vaccine. Those who are 12 and older should get a COVID vaccination, he said.
Wearing masks at schools has been recommended by the CDC.
Dr. Hawkinson said if a large number of children are infected, a percentage will go to the hospital, and also, children will bring the infection home, where caretakers and those at risk of disease may be infected.
“If you give children the vaccine, they will stay well and not be pulled out of participation of extracurricular activities such as sports or band,” he said. It also helps protect caregivers and school personnel who keep the schools open.
Van Liew said it is helping that some businesses were requiring vaccinations among their workforce.
“I think that’s pivotal,” she said. Large employers who require COVID vaccinations can become a game changer, she said.
For more information from the medical update, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/559591211729750.
School districts making decisions on mask-wearing
The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, the largest district in Wyandotte County, on July 20 made the decision to require masks in all district schools. (See https://wyandotteonline.com/kck-school-board-votes-to-require-masks-in-fall/) At the Tuesday night, Aug. 10, board meeting at 5 p.m., Dr. Stephen Linkous, chief of staff, outlined the COVID-19 measures that the school district is taking. Everyone will wear masks. He said rules have not changed since the July 20 meeting. Elementary students will have desk shields in the classrooms, while older students will have the opportunity to request desk shields, he said.
In the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville School District, masks are strongly encouraged but not required. District communications coordinator Kaela Williams said this policy could be changing in the future, as additional information is considered.
All Bonner Springs-Edwardsville staff will be required to wear masks indoors and all passengers on school transportation also will be required to wear masks, she stated. The situation is very fluid and any changes will be communicated in the future, she added.
In the Turner School District, the district is strongly recommending masks this school year but not currently requiring them, according to spokeswoman Lauren Aiello, director of public relations for the district.
“We were encouraged to see the majority of first through fifth-graders come to school today wearing masks and appreciate our parents making the choice to send their children to school with masks on,” Aiello stated. “We know parents want their children in school as much as we do, and wearing masks in our school buildings is one measure we can all take to ensure that we can continue supporting our students both academically and social emotionally in-person.”
The Piper School board voted at the Monday, Aug. 9, meeting to require masks of all students, staff and volunteers, according to a post on the district’s Facebook page. The vote was 4-3 in favor of requiring masks for everyone in the buildings and on district transportation. Masking will continue to be discussed at future school board meetings, according to the post.
Free vaccines available
Free COVID-19 vaccines will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday at the Kmart vaccination site, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Vaccines are free for people ages 12 and older. There are gifts available, and a “Spin to Win” promotion is ongoing for Wyandotte County residents, as supplies last.
For more information on the Unified Government Health Department’s vaccine schedule, see WycoVaccines.org.
Mobile vaccines can still be requested online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1 (913-573-5311).
Other sites available for vaccinations
Some doctors’ offices now offer COVID-19 vaccinations. If you haven’t received your vaccination yet, call your doctor’s office to see if it is available now.
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
The University of Kansas Health System reported an increase Tuesday morning in the number of active COVID-19 patients, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Forty-three patients with the active virus were inpatients on Tuesday, an increase of three since Monday. COVID patients range from age 3 to 93. Eighteen COVID patients were in the intensive care unit, an increase of three from Monday.
Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 20,846 cases on Tuesday, an increase of 52 since Monday, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 313 deaths reported, the same as Monday.
On Wednesday, Aug. 4, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 42.36 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled about 35.87 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 52.1 percent.
The Mid-America Regional Council on Tuesday reported 183,445 cases in Greater Kansas City, a nine-county area. There were a total of 2,478 deaths. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 142.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 342,196 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Monday, Aug. 9, an increase of 2,669 since Friday, Aug. 6. There was a total of 5,322 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of 23 since Aug. 6.
The KDHE reported 64,998 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on Aug. 9, an increase of 490 since Aug. 6. Leavenworth County had 8,295 cases, an increase of 88 since Aug. 6. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 61,624 cases, an increase of 931 since Aug. 6.
On Tuesday, there were a cumulative 36,050,630 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with cumulative 618,108 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
There were 532,245 vaccine doses reported administered Monday in the U.S., with 51 percent of the population fully vaccinated. States reporting large numbers of vaccinations included California, 69,202; Florida, 68,368; Texas, 60,097; North Carolina, 50,605; and Illinois, 37,913.
Countries with high numbers of vaccine administered included India, 5.836 million; Japan, 3.262 million; Turkey, 1.516 million; Indonesia, 1.484 million; and U.S., 532,200.
Countries with rising numbers of COVID-19 cases included U.S., 184,350; Turkey, 46,400; Iran, 40,808; Spain, 39,638; and India, 28,204.
Free testing available
Free COVID-19 testing is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday at the UG Health Department’s central location, the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Free gift cards are available to those who get a test, while supplies last.
Besides Health Department sites, 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.
To view the new mask order in Kansas City, Kansas, visit https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/mask-mandate-resolution-r-47-21-effective-august-6-through-september-16-2021.pdf and https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/ug-issues-mask-order-for-kck-and-other-portions-of-wyco.pdf.