Wyandotte County reported 6,973 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Thursday, an increase of 91 since Wednesday, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 website. There were 134 cumulative COVID-19 cases reported, the same as Wednesday. There were six more persons hospitalized since Wednesday. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)
An increase has been noted recently in COVID-19 case numbers at the local, state and national levels.
Cases are up across the United States, according to national measurements such as the seven-day rolling average at Johns Hopkins University, according to Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System. It shouldn’t be any surprise since schools and society and bars have reopened, he added.
Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 website reported national cases at 7.2 million on Thursday, with more than 200,000 deaths.
The University of Kansas Health System saw a slight increase on Thursday morning, with 34 patients in the hospital with acute COVID-19, including nine in the intensive care unit and six on ventilators, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System. He said there are 27 other COVID-19 patients in recovery, with three on the ventilator. HaysMed in Hays, Kansas, reported 14 acute COVID-19 patients and one in recovery on Thursday.
Wyandotte County reported 6,973 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Thursday, an increase of 91 reported since Wednesday, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 website. There were 134 cumulative COVID-19 deaths reported, the same as Wednesday. There were six more persons hospitalized since Wednesday.
According to the UG COVID-19 hub, Wyandotte County had a 14.4 seven-day rolling average of positive test percentages on Sept. 30. The positivity rate of all who tested positive since March is about 17.4 percent in Wyandotte County, according to the website. Ideally, the positivity rate should be below 5 percent, according to national officials.
The KC Region COVID-19 hub reported 43,987 total cases in the nine-county Kansas City area. Hospitalization rates were trending up.
Kansas, which reports its case numbers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, saw an increase of 1,120 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, for a cumulative total of 59,749, with 678 total deaths.
In response to a question about why so many totals show different numbers or rates, Dr. Hawkinson said there could be delays in test results for some, or a delay in data at the site they’re getting information. He advised people to pick a couple of sites to look at, such as the Johns Hopkins site, Kansas site or the Mid-America Regional Council’s KC Regional COVID-19 site.
Don’t focus on the details, just understand the trends, such as the 7-day or 14-day averages, he advised.
At the Friday, Oct. 2, KU Health System news conference, the topic will be about the hospital’s numbers and what the numbers mean.
Free testing continues Friday
Free tests are at the UG Health Department parking lot, 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. They are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is needed.
The tests are for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. Participants should bring something that shows their address or their work place, such as a piece of mail or a work badge.
The Health Department tests now 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 because of the weather or for other reasons.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.
Kansas reported 1,120 additional COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, for a cumulative total of 59,749. There were a cumulative 678 deaths, an increase of 41 deaths since Monday. (From KDHE)Wyandotte County reported a cumulative total of 6,882 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, and 134 cumulative deaths, according to the UG COVID-19 website. (From UG COVID-19 website)
Kansas City, Kansas, business leaders on Wednesday asked businesses and individuals in the community to take the “Keep WyCo Well” pledge to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Three local organizations are sponsoring the pledge, which is online at https://www.visitkansascityks.com/keepwycowell/. Businesses that take the pledge can display a decal in their windows, and there also are Keep WyCo Well masks available. This effort was the focus of a news conference Wednesday at the University of Kansas Health System.
Alan Carr, executive director of the Kansas City, Kansas, Convention and Visitors Bureau, said they are trying to engage businesses and individuals to take a pledge to stop the spread of coronavirus. It is a way for businesses to get involved and show customers they’re taking it seriously, and help stop the spread of the virus, he said.
Marcia Harrington, senior director of retention and workforce solutions of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council, said when the pandemic hit in mid-March, they started making phone calls to local businesses. They made 800 calls and contacted 400 companies, finding out how they were doing, if they were operating, had layoffs or were closed. They asked what they were doing to keep the employees safe.
The overwhelming majority said they were establishing guidelines to keep their employees safe so they could come to work every day and so the business could meet its service and order demands, she said. The guidelines included social distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing the workplace and closing doors so that screening could take place.
Daniel Silva, president of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce, which works with 550-plus members, said after COVID-19 hit, they decided to go virtual with communications and events. The made sure they were connecting business owners with decision makers early in the process, he said, making sure they got the right information.
Silva said he was very proud to be part of this collaborative with Wyandotte Economic Development Council, the CVB and the chamber. What makes it unique is that there are probably not that many other communities with such a collaborative.
Silva said they decided to extend services not just to chamber members but to the entire community. It was important to get the right information to business owners on how to reopen safely.
He advised businesses to be as flexible as possible to do the pandemic as best as possible.
“We’re all in this together,” Silva said. “From a business standpoint, we don’t want to and can’t afford to move back to a more restrictive stage where businesses are shutting down.”
They are encouraging not just businesses but also individual community members to take this seriously, he said.
Harrington said the chamber and Wyandotte Economic Development Council wanted to make sure businesses heard about the federal resources that came out initially. Some knew about it, and some didn’t, she said. They referred businesses to the resources, at first the federal funding, and now state and local funding, she said.
“We’ve all learned and are very aware, that keeping businesses healthy, operational and healthy is good for the economy, good for everyone,” Harrington said.
“Everyone needs to take personal responsibility, not only for themselves but for everyone around them,” she said.
Carr said tourism is one of the industries that has been hit really hard by COVID-19.
With prohibitions on gatherings and bringing in groups, there was a large effect on the tourism economy, he said.
With the Keep WyCo Well initiative, they are taking steps to slow the spread of COVID-19. This communicates that businesses that are opening are doing it safely, following the recommended guidelines, and that Wyandotte County is a safe place to visit, he said.
Carr said during the shutdown, hotels were down to an 18 percent occupancy in Wyandotte County, where they were typically 50 to 60 percent. As restrictions lessened, the numbers have gone up a little, he said. They are currently down about 30 percent from where they were before, he added.
While large meetings and conventions are still not taking place here, people have found ways to travel and enjoy the outdoors, he added.
One of the trends they have seen in the tourism industry, according to surveys, is that people are having a tough time deciding whether it’s safe to do certain things, he said.
Visitors have mentioned masking, and have said they want to see people wearing masks when they visit, he added.
Masking is mandatory in Wyandotte County, and most places are doing a good job with it, but he’s been in a couple places where all the customers aren’t wearing masks, he said.
“We need to take this seriously,” Carr said. He encouraged individuals to take the pledge and wear a mask, to get through the pandemic.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, said there were 31 patients on Wednesday, an increase from 28 on Tuesday. There were eight patients in the intensive care unit, a decrease from 10 on Tuesday, and four patients on ventilators, the same as Tuesday. HaysMed had 17 patients, with one on a ventilator. There are new admissions and discharges each day, according to Dr. Hawkinson.
Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, showed a chart at Wednesday’s news conference showing that deaths from the H1N1 swine flu and other types of flu were much less than deaths from COVID-19. (From KDHE news conference)
Kansas sees increase in COVID-19 case numbers and deaths
Kansas reported increases in COVID-19 case numbers and deaths on Wednesday, according to Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health.
Kansas reported 1,120 additional COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, for a cumulative total of 59,749. There were a cumulative 678 deaths, an increase of 41 deaths since Monday.
Dr. Norman explained some of the increases at a news conference Wednesday.
Twenty-one of the deaths reported were attributed to reconciliation of vital statistics death records, he said.
KDHE routinely reconciles the number of deaths that are reported, he said. The state receives notification of deaths from the local health department or provider and the information goes to the disease surveillance system. When the death certificate is received by KDHE vital statistics office, it is verified, he said.
Also, a second method of verifying is that deaths are regularly reviewed in the death registry system and updated, adding any that were not recorded in the system. The death certificate is the final source of data, he said.
Dr. Norman said Kansas is still in the “red zone” nationally, in the weekly White House report on coronavirus. The state’s rate is 165 per 100,000, the 10th highest rate for the nation, he said. The U.S. average is 93 per 100,000.
The state is the ninth highest in the nation for the percentage of positive tests, putting it in the orange zone, he said.
In per capita testing, Kansas is in the green zone currently, he added.
For COVID-19 deaths, Kansas is in the orange zone with 102 per 100,000 and the national rate is 106 per 100,000, he said.
Dr. Norman said some shifts are being seen in the statewide number of cases, with more cases in smaller and rural communities. Two weeks ago, Wyandotte, Johnson and Sedgwick counties made up about 50 percent of the cases and now, they make up about 35 percent, he said.
Yet cases are still increasing, which means they are increasing in other areas, in rural communities and small towns, he said.
Although not making a projection today, Dr. Norman thought it was possible that there will be a leveling off of the case numbers, then a second wave.
Wyandotte County reported a cumulative total of 6,882 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, and 134 cumulative deaths, according to the UG COVID-19 website.
Free testing continues Thursday
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at Vibrant Health Argentine location, 1428 S. 32nd, Kansas City, Kansas.
The pop-up tests are through the Health Equity Task Force and Vibrant Health.
Free tests also are at the UG Health Department parking lot, 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. They are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is needed.
The tests are for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. Participants should bring something that shows their address or their work place, such as a piece of mail or a work badge.
The pop-up tests and the Health Department tests now 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 because of the weather or for other reasons.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website athttps://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Informationor call 311 for more information.
Wyandotte County reported 35 additional COVID-19 cases on Sept. 29, for a cumulative total of 6,887, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported, for a cumulative total of 134. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)
The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools’ Central Office at 2010 N. 59th St. is currently closed because of COVID-19.
According to district spokesman Edwin Birch, there were about five COVID-19 cases at the Central Office and it is currently closed through Oct. 8. The office was closed on Thursday, Sept. 24.
He said the interim superintendent moved swiftly with recommendations from the Unified Government Health Department to close the office for 14 days.
Everyone is working remotely from home, Birch added.
Students in the school district are currently all working from home remotely for the first nine weeks to stop the spread of COVID-19, he added. Some staff and teachers are in the school district buildings.
Recently, options for returning to school in person were discussed at a school board meeting, but there were no decisions made yet.
Case numbers
Wyandotte County reported 35 additional COVID-19 cases on Sept. 29, for a cumulative total of 6,887, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported, for a cumulative total of 134.
There were 42,874 cumulative cases and 573 cumulative deaths reported in the Kansas City metropolitan area by the KC Regional COVID-19 hub.
In the Kansas City area, Johnson County reported 10,943 cumulative cases; Kansas City, Missouri, reported 11,072 cases; Jackson County reported 7,347 cases; and Leavenworth County reported 2,175, according to the KC Regional COVID-19 Hub.
At the University of Kansas Health System on Tuesday morning, there was a slight decrease in the number of acute COVID-19 patients, with 28 in the hospital, a decrease from 33 on Monday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, director of infection prevention and control. There were 10 patients in the intensive care unit, no change from Tuesday, and four on ventilators, an increase of one from Tuesday. The hospital had 22 COVID-19 patients who were no longer in the acute infection phase, an increase from 19 on Monday. HaysMed had 17 COVID-19 inpatients, including one on a ventilator.
Risk of severe illness from COVID-19 increases with obesity
Doctors at the KU Health System news conference on Tuesday discussed the risks of being obese and overweight, especially as it increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Dr. Jennifer McAllaster, bariatric surgeon, said the important thing in a pandemic is looking at little things that people can have control over. People can have healthy food choices in their homes, and they can look at increasing their activity during the day, she said.
Dr. McAllaster said that being obese puts people at more risk if they have COVID-19, and also at more risk for heart disease and other illnesses.
Dr. Ashley Rhodes, a psychologist, said increased pressures from the pandemic have resulted in more people eating too much and gaining weight. As routines are altered, and people no longer feel in control, some have found that eating gives them a sense of control or a sense of relief from the stress.
She said pre-COVID-19 strategies may not be working best for people at this time.
Dr. Rhodes and Dr. McAllaster had several ideas to help people with their eating habits. For example, Dr. Rhodes said if people want to make holiday foods in order that they can share them and connect with others, maybe they could find some other activity to connect and keep the traditions without food.
As one might expect, the doctors did not endorse late-night snacking. It is not a healthy approach, Dr. McAllaster said.
According to Dr. McAllaster, studies have shown late-night eating is even more problematic than calories during the daytime.
Dr. Rhodes said late-night snacking can be a pattern people get into as they start to relax or unwind at night and turn to food. People can try to change it, if they can decrease the amount of times they do this in a week, and look for other ways to have relaxation that don’t involve food, she said.
Dr. McAllaster said she discusses appropriate portion sizes with bariatric patients. She described the “perfect plate” as a salad plate, divided into sections. Half of the plate should be for protein, of about three to four ounces, while the other half is divided between a non-carbohydrate vegetable and a starchy vegetable or dessert. She said people, especially those who have had bariatric surgery, should eat in that order, the protein first, then the non-starchy vegetable, then the final vegetable or dessert.
To add more activities to their day, people might consider standing sometimes while working rather than sitting, and walking to work rather than taking a shuttle, Dr. McAllaster said. They might work in different physical activities at home.
Dr. Rhodes recommended being graceful and nonjudgmental with yourself in this process.
Free testing available on Wednesday
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Judson Baptist Church, 8300 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
The pop-up tests are through the Health Equity Task Force and Vibrant Health. Free tests also are at the UG Health Department parking lot, 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. They are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is needed.
The tests are for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. Participants should bring something that shows their address or their work place, such as a piece of mail or a work badge.
The pop-up tests and the Health Department tests now 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 because of the weather or for other reasons.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website athttps://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Informationor call 311 for more information.
