Category: COVID-19

Biden tests positive for COVID-19

by Jennifer Shutt and Ariana Figueroa, Kansas Reflector

Washington — President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House announced Thursday morning.

Biden, 79, is fully vaccinated against the virus and has twice received booster doses, according to the statement. He is taking Paxlovid, an antiviral prescription medication that is meant to reduce the severity of symptoms and the duration of illness.

“Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in the statement.

“He has been in contact with members of the White House staff by phone this morning, and will participate in his planned meetings at the White House this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence,” she continued.

The White House plans to provide daily updates on Biden’s condition. He will return to work in person when he tests negative.

He tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday, the White House said.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who was last with Biden Tuesday, has tested negative, according to a White House official. The White House did not specify when that test was conducted.

Harris is meeting with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, Thursday, and will later meet with North Carolina state legislators to hold a roundtable discussion about reproductive rights, according to the White House.

Harris spoke with Biden by phone Thursday morning and plans to continue her schedule as planned, according to the official.

“The vice president will remain masked following the advice of the White House medical team,” the official said.

Biden was in Massachusetts on Wednesday to announce action on climate change. Several of Biden’s top staffers traveled with him on Marine One, the helicopter that transports the president and aides from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where Air Force One takes off and lands.

Those aides included Bruce Reed, deputy chief of staff; Gina McCarthy, national climate adviser; Annie Tomasini, director of Oval Office operations; Jean-Pierre; and Stephen Goepfert, special assistant and personal aide to the president.

U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren as well as U.S. Reps. Jake Auchincloss and Bill Keating, all of Massachusetts, traveled with Biden from Andrews to the outdoor event in Somerset.

White House staff traveling on Air Force One included Vinay Reddy, director of speech writing; Curtis Reid, senior director for multilateral affairs; and Travis Dredd, trip director.

Biden is also coming off an international trip from last week, along with his first one to the Middle East, where from June 9-16 he traveled to the United Kingdom, Brussels, Geneva, Israel, the West Bank and then Saudi Arabia.

During that trip, he met with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while he attended the G7 summit. He had another meeting with the president of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Biden also met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who ordered the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

He was scheduled to travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Thursday to give a speech at the Marts Center at Wilkes University about the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which is the president’s funding request to Congress to help fund programs aimed at reducing gun violence.

Later on, the president was scheduled to travel to Philadelphia to “participate in a fundraising reception for the Democratic National Committee,” according to the White House’s schedule.

After his visit, he was scheduled to go back to his home in Wilmington, Delaware, for the weekend.

It’s unclear if the president will still be able to attend an event scheduled in Orlando and Tampa, Florida, on Monday. Biden was scheduled to give a speech at the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives Annual Conference in Orlando and another speech at a DNC rally in Tampa.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that someone who tests positive for COVID-19 should stay home for at least five days and isolate from others. The CDC advises against all travel.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/07/21/biden-tests-positive-for-covid-19/

Early demand for under-5 COVID-19 vaccines promising amid rising case numbers, Kansas doctors say

by Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — As COVID-19 case numbers of approach levels not seen since February, Kansas doctors are encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated.

A month removed from the vaccine receiving emergency use authorization for children younger than 5, Danielle Johnson, a clinical psychologist with the University of Kansas Health System, said many pediatricians’ offices are running out of the shot. She says this is a good sign for demand and critical with more children being infected.

Johnson’s three children, including her 5-year-old daughter, have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“They understood the risks of having COVID, and so we wanted to make sure that we got them as safe as possible,” Johnson said. “They have all their other vaccines. They wear seatbelts when they’re in the car. They wear a helmet on their bicycle. So, we do things to keep them safe and this is another measure to keep them safe.”

Last month, both Moderna and Pfizer received emergency use authorizations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Subsequently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on the vaccination for children younger than 5.

A federal advisory committee determined the benefits of both vaccines outweigh any risks after they were well-tolerated by children who received them during clinical trials. Under the FDA authorization, the Moderna vaccine will consist of two shots, while the Pfizer vaccine consists of three shots.

At Children’s Mercy Hospitals, intensive care units are filling up, particularly with those needing treatment for COVID-19. While children may be infected at a lesser rate, the omicron variant has proven more infectious for young Kansans, making the vaccine approval timing essential, said Dr. Ryan Smith, a pediatrician with KU Health System.

He said one sign parents should take comfort in is that children report lesser side effects of the vaccine than adults.

“A big part of that is the vaccine developers being very cautious with the dose they provide to kids because, again, when we’re talking about young people, we need to be very, very cautious to the safety and efficacy,” Dr. Smith said. “I think that everything that the vaccine developers have done, it tells me that it’s safe and effective.”

After receiving the vaccine, children must wait 15 minutes to monitor for any severe, but rare, allergic reactions.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has reported 819,675 COVID-19 cases and 8,957 deaths. KDHE recorded 7,346 new cases in the previous week.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer for KU Health System, said heat maps of the country suggest the spread of the virus is accelerating across America. In Kansas, Johnson and Wyandotte counties are both in the red zone, meaning infection protection protocols could be around the corner.

“Remember that we don’t have the same public testing as we had before — so many of the tests are at-home — but in these reported cases, the numbers are reportedly probably four to eight times higher than that across the country,” Dr. Stites said. “We may actually have a much larger spike of new cases than we are actually able to measure because public health-wise, we’re not doing (testing).”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/07/18/early-demand-for-under-5-covid-19-vaccines-promising-amid-rising-case-numbers-kansas-doctors-say/

COVID cases up in Wyandotte County

Wyandotte County is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to an announcement from the Unified Government Health Department.

People living in Wyandotte County are encouraged to take precautions to protect themselves and their communities from further spread of the virus, according to a UG news release.

• Wyandotte County had an average of 56 new cases per day, not including home test results, according to the Health Department. Wycokck.org/covid-19

Wyandotte County is experiencing the highest 7-day rolling averages of new cases since mid-February 2022, and the current average is 60 percent higher than the rolling average of new cases per day recorded at this time last year, the Health Department stated.

• COVID hospitalizations across the metro area also have been trending upward since May 2022. https://marc2.org/covidhub/

• According to KDHE data, all new cases in Kansas are the Omiron variant, and the majority of those are the more recent BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of the Omicron variant. BA.4 and BA.5 are different from earlier lineages of Omicron (such as BA 1.1 and BA.2, which were more prominent earlier this year). https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas

“We consider an average of 50 or more new cases per day to be a surge of COVID in our community, and Wyandotte County just passed that threshold,” said Elizabeth Groenweghe, chief epidemiologist with the UGPHD. “With the increased number of people testing at home, we believe actual COVID case numbers may be much higher. As people are planning their summer activities, we encourage them to consider wearing a well-fitting mask in indoor public spaces, monitor for symptoms, get tested if you don’t feel well, and stay home if you are sick. It’s also important to stay up-to-date on your COVID vaccines and boosters to help prevent serious illness and death from COVID.”

“Taking precautions is especially important now, with the current COVID variants we are seeing,” Groenweghe said. “There are new subvariants, or ‘lineages’ of the Omicron variant that make up the majority of our cases now. Recent data shows that these are different enough that they evade natural and vaccine-produced immunity. This means that people can become reinfected even if they’ve recently had COVID or been vaccinated. Because of this, masks are very important. Vaccines do help protect against serious illness and death from COVID.”

What people in Wyandotte County can do

As individuals and families plan the rest of their summer activities, here are some steps they can take to reduce the risk of getting COVID and spreading COVID to others:

Consider wearing a mask in indoor public spaces. This protection is especially important if you or someone near you is at high-risk for serious illness from COVID. Any well-fitting mask worn over the nose and mouth can help reduce spread of the virus, but higher-grade masks and respirators, like N95s and KN95s, offer the best protection.

Get tested. If you have any COVID symptoms, if you have been exposed to COVID, if you will be traveling, or if you are attending a large indoor gathering or event.
o Find a testing location near you at bit.ly/WyCoCOVIDtest or at KnowBeforeYouGoKS.com
o Order free home test kits to be mailed to you at COVID.gov and AccessCovidTests.org.
o Find free home test kits available for pick-up now in Wyandotte County: ughealth.info/hometest
o Note: The UG Public Health Department does not administer COVID tests at this time.

Stay home if you are sick. If you have symptoms, or if you test positive for COVID, please stay home for at least 5 days. After isolating at home for 5 days, you may leave home if you are feeling better and fever-free, but please wear a mask for another 5 days when around others.

Take precautions if you are exposed to COVID:
o If you recently got your first vaccination series, or if you have gotten your booster: wear a mask for 10 days; monitor for symptoms, and get tested after 5 days.
o If you are unvaccinated, or you’re overdue for your second dose or a booster: stay home for 5 days and get tested after 5 days; wear a mask for 5 more days.

Get vaccinated. If you haven’t received a COVID vaccine, consider getting vaccinated to protect yourself from serious illness or death from COVID. COVID vaccines are recommended for anyone age 6 months and older.
o Search for vaccination sites near you at COVID.gov
o The UGPHD site at 619 Ann Ave in KCK offers COVID vaccines and boosters for people ages 5 and older, by appointment only. Call 913-573-8815 to make an appointment.
o Note: For children under age 5, contact your pediatrician or primary healthcare provider. If you need help finding a provider, call the UGPHD for assistance at 913-573-8815.

Stay up-to-date on COVID vaccines and boosters. Use the CDC’s “Find Out When You Can Get Your Booster” tool to see if you are up-to-date on COVID vaccines and boosters: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html#when-you-can-get-booster

Learn more about vaccines, testing, and the latest COVID guidance at COVID.gov.

  • Story from UG Health Department