Category: COVID-19

Mask mandate removal added to Thursday night’s UG Commission agenda

A repeal of the mask mandate in Wyandotte County has been added to Thursday night’s Unified Government Commission agenda.

According to a UG spokesman, the agenda item was added by new Mayor Tyrone Garner.

The UG Commission voted on Nov. 30 to extend the mask mandate to Jan. 6. Information on the current mandate, which only applies to the city of Kansas City, Kansas, and unincorporated portions of Wyandotte County, is at https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/kck-mask-mandate-extended-nr-11192021.pdf.

If it passes the resolution would end the mask mandate at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 16.

The lobby of City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., will be open to the public to view the meeting, but because of COVID, there will not be an in-person meeting.

The meeting can be viewed on UGTV cable television and on YouTube. It is also being carried on the internet on Zoom and can be accessed by phone. For more information, see the agenda at https://civicclerk.blob.core.windows.net/stream/WYCOKCK/b80b51c9-43a7-46ef-9c06-5e6e2dbf1053.pdf?sv=2015-12-11&sr=b&sig=uH59B7xQmZvP6n1HdVfso%2FR1DhNCZFo%2Bnxj4TbhugnQ%3D&st=2021-12-16T02%3A42%3A32Z&se=2022-12-16T02%3A47%3A32Z&sp=r&rscc=no-cache&rsct=application%2Fpdf.

COVID hospitalizations on the increase in KC area

COVID-19 hospitalizations are on the increase in the Kansas City area, according to a discussion held Wednesday morning at the University of Kansas Health System.

KU Health System had a total of 64 COVID patients hospitalized on Wednesday, up from 58 on Tuesday, according to hospital officials. Eleven COVID patients were in the intensive care unit, with six on ventilators.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health, said the omicron variant spread is doubling every two to three days and is coming through the Midwest. The local rate is nearly the biggest surge they have had in the pandemic, he said.

According to Dr. Stites, hospitals are full and new cases of COVID may keep people who are sick and have a time-sensitive diagnosis from getting care.

“This is a challenging time because we’re so darn tired of following the rules,” Dr. Stites said. “But with omicron coming for the holidays, people not wearing masks, gathering indoors and not enough of us vaccinated, this may be our greatest challenge.”

Dr. Nathan Bahr, infectious disease physician, said it was “hugely concerning” that schools and communities are ending mask mandates just as this new surge is here and stressed why they are necessary now more than ever.

“It’s so easy and it’s so effective and is something you can do for your community that will help those numbers look better and stop that trend from going straight up,” he said.

He’s also worried that many of the therapies such as monoclonal antibodies are not going to be effective against omicron.

Dr. Catherine Satterwhite, Region 7 health administrator for Health and Human Services, is concerned that COVID admissions are up about 3 percent throughout the region. COVID admissions are up 13 percent in New York and New Jersey, and this area, Region 7, usually follows that trend, according to Dr. Satterwhite.

Even if omicron is not as severe, Dr. Satterwhite said it can still put people in the hospital, and since it’s more transmissible than delta, it threatens to place a tremendous burden on hospitals.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, said the vast majority of those hospitalized and dying are not vaccinated. The COVID vaccine works like the flu vaccine in that the flu shot doesn’t stop the flu but keeps the symptoms from being as severe.

Chelsey Smith of the Community Blood Center discussed the blood shortage here. She said there is only a three- to four-day supply of blood, but that will probably drop around the holidays. She urged residents to make an appointment to give blood at savealifenow.org or by calling 877-468-6844.

Vaccines available

COVID testing and free vaccines are available at the former Kmart facility at 78th and State, Kansas City, Kansas. For hours and days vaccines are available, visit WycoVaccines.org or call 311.

Health Department to offer booster shots for 16- and 17-year-olds

The Unified Government Health Department announced today it is offering COVID-19 booster shots for those who are ages 16 and 17 who are at least six months out from their second dose.

This follows FDA authorization and recommendations from the CDC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.


Booster eligibility for 16- and 17-year-olds


• People ages 16 and 17 are only eligible for a Pfizer booster. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized for 16- and 17-year-olds at this time.

• Individuals ages 16 and 17 must be at least 6 months out from their second dose of Pfizer to be eligible for a booster.

• Bring your vaccination card when coming in for a booster.

COVID-19 vaccine and booster locations

The Health Department provides COVID-19 vaccines for people ages 5 and older, and boosters for individuals ages 16 and older, at the Kmart site, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.


• Hours through Dec. 17: Wednesday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Holiday hours Dec. 20 – Dec. 29: Monday – Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• January hours: to be determined.

The Health Department also offers COVID-19 vaccines for people ages 12 and older, including boosters for eligible people ages 16 and older, at the Health Department building at 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, by appointment only. Call 913-573-8855 to make an appointment.

Additional vaccination sites can be found at vaccines.gov.

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines in Wyandotte County, visit WycoVaccines.org.

Vaccine clinics this weekend

There are also some vaccine clinics coming up this weekend in Wyandotte County, including:

• Free COVID vaccines for children 5-11 years old from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at Donnelly College Event Center, 608 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas. The clinic is open to children. Signups are at https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/697014812138174049/false#/invitation.

• A COVID vaccine drive-through event is planned from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at Mt. Carmel Church, 2025 N. 12th St., Kansas City, Kansas. This event will have COVID vaccines, testing, flu shots and free food. COVID vaccines are for ages 12 and older, while flu shots are for ages 3 to 65. Everyone who receives a COVID vaccine will get a $25 gift card, and the first 100 people will receive two gift cards. The first 300 people to get a COVID test, COVID vaccine or flu shot will receive a free frozen chicken. The food and giveaways are available until supplies run out. The Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force is a sponsor of this event, with several other groups.

• Free COVID vaccines will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at Sacred Heart Church, 2646 S. 34th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Participants may receive the first, second or third dose. Three COVID vaccines will be available. Participants who are Wyandotte County residents may win a $25 gift card per person, or $100 per family. Vaccines are available for anyone 5 years and older, and booster shots for anyone 18 and older. Free hams and chickens, one per family with at least one vaccinated person, will be given away while supplies last. Also, participants who receive a vaccine will receive a free order of tacos.

KCK schools extend start date for COVID testing program

The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools have extended the start date for a COVID testing program to Jan. 10.

Originally planned to start Dec. 31, the program’s start date now is Jan. 10, according to district officials.

Stephen Linkous, the district’s chief of staff, reported at the Dec. 7 school board meeting that there are more than 50 testing sites in the school district, and a lot of equipment to move to the sites.

The new date will be more closely aligned with federally mandated testing requirements, he said.

Linkous said the school district has a testing policy, not a vaccine mandate, for employees. The district highly encouraged employees and volunteers to get a COVID vaccine, but did not mandate it, according to officials.

Those who do not have COVID vaccines are required to get a COVID test each week, under the district’s policy.

Some testing sites are already operating under an initial pilot testing plan, Linkous said.

School starts on Jan. 3 after the holiday break, and the district waited until Jan. 10 to implement the start of the testing program, he said. It would have been tougher trying to start the program on the day that everyone returns, according to Linkous.

Board member Wanda Brownlee Paige favored professional development presentations on the testing program to make sure all employees had the opportunity to hear about it and ask questions.

Every employee is receiving direct communications about the testing program, and they have been uploading their vaccine records to a district website, according to district officials.

The district also has procedures for volunteers to report their vaccine status.

Linkous reported that 2,800 staff members out of 4,400 employees have uploaded their vaccine cards so far, which is 63 percent.

It is within the range that the district expected to participate, he said. He expects to see more staff participate, he added.

The board has already approved a rollover plan for employees to either roll over sick leave or receive a payout if they do not use the five additional sick days they will receive for getting a vaccine. If the five sick days are not used, they can roll them over after June 30, according to Linkous. They may take a payout of $150 per sick day that they do not use.

The district has a prorated system on the sick days. Those who turned in vaccination cards in December will receive five days of sick leave; while those who turn them in in January will receive four days, according to Linkous. That continues with three sick days for turning in vaccination cards in February; two in March; and one in April.

The KCK school district is planning a vaccine event for ages 5 to 11 from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17, at Grant Elementary School, 1510 N. 4th St. in Kansas City, Kansas.

The vaccine event, “Strikeout Covid,” is cosponsored by the Unified Government Health Department and the Kansas City Royals. It is for children ages 5 to 11.

Youth who receive the Pfizer vaccine will get a free meal on site, and will also receive other giveaways. The Health Department will administer the vaccine.

Parents or guardians must be present at the event. There will be no vaccines at this event for those over 11, and no booster shots will be offered. Masks will be required at the event.

More vaccination events will be planned after the first of the year at other locations, according to Dr. Anna Stubblefield, superintendent.