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Wyandotte County COVID-19 cases increase by 166

Wyandotte County positive COVID-19 cases increased by 166 from noon Wednesday to noon Thursday, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. Also, hospital numbers are rising.

There were 3,317 cases reported at noon Thursday, an increase of 166, according to the UG’s COVID-19 website.

There were no new deaths listed in Wyandotte County, the total remained at 88.

On Tuesday evening, Wyandotte County health officials announced the mask order would also apply to persons who are exercising indoors at gyms or facilities, and also to day cares.

Gov. Laura Kelly announced on Wednesday that school start would be delayed until at least Sept. 9 in Kansas because of the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

According to the UG’s COVID-19 website, the Zip Code with the highest number of recent cases in Wyandotte County was 66102, which reported 238 cases in the past 14 days. Zip Code 66104 reported 135 cases, and Zip Code 66106 reported 114 cases. Zip Code 66101 had 108 cases in the past 14 days. Zip Code 66103 reported 69 cases, according to the website.

The University of Kansas Health System reported a total of 34 COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Thursday morning, an increase from 30 on Wednesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System. Twelve COVID-19 patients were in the intensive care unit and four were on ventilators, compared to two on ventilators on Wednesday. There were seven new admissions Wednesday and several discharges. One of the patients admitted is a teenager.

Dr. Hawkinson said they were running low on critical medications such as remdesivir, and he hopes they do not run short of medications to make patients comfortable while they are on the ventilator.

At a KU Health System news conference on Thursday morning, Dr. Doug Girod, chancellor of the University of Kansas, said the KU Lawrence campus is planning for an influx of students in a few weeks for the fall semester.

The university will test all students for COVID-19, with a free saliva test, according to Dr. Girod.

Students who test positive will be quarantined in Naismith Hall, according to Dr. Girod. They will have the help of the county health department in contact tracing. He said that the county health department, the university campus health center, KU Health System and the state health department have been assisting in making plans.

Monitoring and testing will continue through the semester, he said.

Everyone on campus will wear a mask and there will be social distancing in classrooms and other places, according to Dr. Girod. They will try to avoid face-to-face interaction by making stairways and hallways one-way.

He said there will be a combination of in-person and remote classes.

Lawrence recently saw a spike and new cases were traced back to a few bars, he said. Douglas County closed bars again and new cases started to decline.

Dr. Girod also said some researchers have developed an app that they hope will be used on campus. It asks a series of questions each morning, then gives the person a code that might say the person is not symptomatic at that time. Then the code could be entered into buildings. If there are symptoms, the app will tell the user to call a hotline and get tested.

Dr. Hawkinson said the virus is still out there and people should continue to follow guidance, physical distance, wear a mask, not go out if sick and wash their hands to reduce the risk as much as possible and keep their families safe.

To view the KU doctors’ news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/290096935440894.

For information on the amended Wyandotte County mask order, visit https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/07142020MaskOrderAmendments.pdf and https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/07142020LocalHealthOfficerOrderMaskAmendments.pdf.

The governor’s executive order on masks is at https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20200702093130003.pdf.

The governor’s news release on the mask order is at https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-laura-kelly-signs-executive-order-mandating-masks-in-public-spaces/.

The Wyandotte County mask order is at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/06272020LocalHealthOfficerOrderRegardingMasks.pdf.

Wyandotte County has posted an application for nonprofits, government agencies, school districts and businesses in Wyandotte County that want to apply for CARES Act funding. The web address is https://us.openforms.com/Form/6273fe80-8bba-4c18-b4e7-e551096d8a83.

For information on how to make an easy no-sew mask, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/how-to-make-a-no-sew-cloth-mask/.

For more information about COVID-19 testing, including other sites, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. Residents also may call 3-1-1 for more information about testing.

The state’s COVID-19 test page is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/280/COVID-19-Testing.

Residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.

Wyandotte County is currently under Phase 3. See covid.ks.gov.

The state plan’s frequently asked questions page is at https://covid.ks.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reopening-FAQ_5.19.2020_Final.pdf.

The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

School start to be delayed until Sept. 9 statewide, governor says

Positive COVID-19 cases have increased significantly recently in Kansas. (KDHE graphic)

Gov. Laura Kelly today said she would issue an executive order delaying the start of school until Sept. 9 throughout Kansas.

The state also will require masks to be worn in kindergarten through 12th grade schools throughout the state, she said.

In Kansas City, Kansas, Edwin Birch, a spokesman for the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools stated, “We appreciate today’s announcement by Governor Laura Kelly to delay the reopening of schools until after Labor Day. The governor’s decision will allow KCKPS additional time to discuss and evaluate our proposed options for reopening school. We understand there will be additional questions related to what the delay will mean for our school district, we plan to provide those details in the coming days. The health and safety of our students, staff and their families will always remain a priority as we continue to review reopening options.”

Only kindergarten through grade 12 was covered by today’s announcement, not universities and colleges. Wyandotte County had earlier issued its own guidance for reopening schools on June 22.

Positive COVID-19 cases have increased in recent weeks in Kansas. There was an 8 percent increase in cases over the last weekend, the governor said at the news conference.

On Wednesday, the state reported 20,933 cases, an increase of 875 since Monday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. There were also 11 more deaths from Monday to Wednesday, according to KDHE figures, for a total of 299 cumulative deaths.

Gov. Kelly said there had been an average 241 new coronavirus cases a day in the seven-day average period ending Monday, the worst seven-day average ever for Kansas.

The state flattened the curve before Memorial Day, but after that, political pressures forced the state to make the health orders voluntary. After Memorial Day, the numbers trended up as many counties decided to lift the orders.

Gov. Kelly said she had hoped when the she made the orders “guidance,” not mandatory, that county officials would step in and require the counties to stay in the reopening plan, and to require masks, but most counties did not do that.

Intensive care unit capacity in Lawrence and Wichita hospitals are under threat, and cases in the younger population continue to rise, Gov. Kelly said.

“We have lost nearly 300 Kansans,” Gov. Kelly said. “Can any of you imagine any other circumstance where friends and neighbors die from a single cause where we would not all jump into action to do our part?”

Some leaders have downplayed the virus and its effects, and they are now seeing the consequences, she said.

Kansas issued the mask order before the Fourth of July because they had seen what happened on the Memorial Day weekend, she said.

Gov. Kelly quoted Vice President Mike Pence’s statements that masks were “instruments of freedom if we use them.”

CDC officials have said COVID-19 could be controlled in one to two months if everyone did their part and wore masks, she said.

She thanked the counties and cities that have implemented the mask orders. Harvey and Reno counties changed course on Tuesday and implemented the mask order after a rise in cases, she added.

“I believe that real leaders aren’t afraid to confront crises head on. They don’t sit back silently and wait for the situation to get worse. That’s what I have done and will continue to do regardless of the political consequences,” Gov. Kelly said.

Gov. Kelly said she was issuing her executive orders because the state Board of Education’s plan approved earlier today is not mandatory, but guidance.

The extra three weeks, delaying opening of the schools, will allow schools time to prepare for supplies such as sanitizers and masks, according to the governor. It also will give time for the coronavirus to deline.

She said they can’t risk the lives of students, teachers, staff and parents by reopening too early.

The state Board of Education, according to the governor, has put together a plan allowing districts to choose whether to open schools in person, with distance learning, or with a hybrid of in person and distance learning. The state Board of Education must approve the governor’s school opening date.

Dr. Randy Watson, state education commissioner, said the state Board of Education today accepted a document that set out the plans for schools to reopen. Nearly 1,000 Kansans worked on the plan, he said.

“We need students in school, no one disputes that,” he said. “We have to do so with safety as our top priority.”

Education and health officials have worked on the state’s plan, he said. Each school district will make its own decision on reopening, and he will work with the districts on it, he added.

Masks, disinfection, sanitizing and training are all part of the plans for school reopening.

Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, posted a message on social media: “The governor’s announcement to cancel school until September must be affirmed by the State School Board in accordance to the bill she just signed (HB2016). It is my hope when the board contemplates this decision, they take into consideration that one size doesn’t fit all. The legislature intended to pass these decisions on to local governing authorities, where teachers, parents and health care professionals all have a voice and can, in a collaborative manner, do what is best for their children and their community. “

Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said at the governor’s news conference that the White House categorized Kansas as a COVID-19 “red zone” on Tuesday, indicating that new cases were increasing rapidly.

Dr. Norman remarked that every week that residents don’t take COVID-19 seriously sets the state back 14 days, because the incubation period is two weeks. This weekend’s case numbers reflect actions taken on the Fourth of July, he said.

He said while they don’t fully understand the nature of the coronavirus, it is much more serious than the flu, and many people leave the hospital still facing serious issues. It affects more than the respiratory system, he added.

Since there are some incubation periods between now and Sept. 9, COVID-19 can be reduced and pushed down like the did before, according to Dr. Norman.

“We must wear masks, we must socially distance,” he said. If the state’s actions continue, the numbers will increase, it could break the hospital system, which is already somewhat strained, and there is no way they can return to school this fall if they continue this trajectory, he said.

“Decisions Kansans make in the weeks to come will determine whether we gain control of the spread or let the virus inevitably rage on,” he said.

“It is important as Kansans we acknowledge our actions as individuals impact our community and state. Just because you can do something like work when you are ill or attend a large gatherings, does not mean you should,” Dr. Norman said.

To view the governor’s news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/277260523563415.

To see an earlier story on schools reopening, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/kckps-explores-options-for-reopening-schools-in-the-fall/

For more information on the state Board of Education’s school reopening guidance, visit https://www.ksde.org/Home/Quick-Links/News-Room/state-board-of-education-accepts-school-reopening-guidance-document-1.

Wyandotte County’s education reopening guidance for K-12 schools, from June 22, is online at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/ReStartWyCoK12EducationReopening.pdf.

Cases skyrocketing in Kansas, state health official says

A chart from the KHA was shown during a news conference Wednesday morning that showed Wyandotte and Johnson county cases with large increases recently, compared to other counties in northeast Kansas.

Wyandotte County reported 3,151 total cumulative cases at noon on Wednesday, an increase of 37 since 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to the UG’s COVID-19 webpage. The number of total deaths was the same as Tuesday, with no increase, at 88. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)

Positive COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly in Kansas, and “we have fumbled the ball,” Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said in a video news conference Wednesday morning at the University of Kansas Health System.

“It’s awful. We were winning the fight, and on May 26 everything started to change,” Dr. Norman said.

They are fumbling it because of inattentiveness and politics, Dr. Norman said.

Cases are skyrocketing as the state is over 20,000 cases and approaching 300 deaths, he said. On Monday, the increase was almost 1,500 from the prior Friday, he said. COVID-19 is now in almost every Kansas county.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said as the case numbers continue to rise, then they have to worry about things shutting down again.

“As we fumble the ball,” Dr. Stites said, “what we’ve done is undo all the good work people did by staying sheltered in place.”

Quoting CDC officials, Dr. Stites said people don’t have to shelter in place, they just have to wear a mask and socially distance to stop the spread of the virus. It’s not hard, he added.

Dr. Norman said Kansas is in a different place than it was in April. Numbers now have already surpassed the peak in April, he added.

Kansas is in the top dozen in terms of testing per capita now, he said, compared to April when it didn’t have enough testing capacity.

However, they’re now flooded at the state and commercial labs, so the turnaround time is getting longer. The state lab is returning tests in one lab, while commercial labs are taking longer now, he added. The state had over 1,700 samples come in on Tuesday, he said.

He said in order to keep from closing down, the state needs the capacity to do PCR testing on everyone who needs it, and they are there now; they need hospital surge capacity, and are doing pretty well in that respect right now; health care workers need personal protective equipment and are doing pretty well right now; and syndromic surveillance is in place for the state agency, which is in place.

Mass gatherings from the medical perspective are “evil,” Dr. Norman said. They have seen quite a lot of illnesses and deaths result from funerals, where people shake hands, give hugs and kisses, he said. They are seeing sadness on top of sadness, he said.

Dr. Norman said some of the problems here have been encouraged politically. When the authority passed from the state to the counties in late May, and most counties took away the mandates, is when they lost control of the state, he said. The mask mandate was turned to the counties as well because of legislative actions, he said.

While it’s true that people should not have to have mandates to do the right thing, but the Legislature hasn’t helped here in taking those things away, he said.

Dr. Stites said science just looks at the data and makes observations, and tries to interpret the data for people. People get into trouble when they try to use the scientific data to make a political point, he said.

Dr. Stites said there’s a lot that they don’t know, but they do know that coronavirus is spread when people breathe out, and masks stop it from spreading.

Dr. Stites said on Tuesday, hospitals were told not to report data to the CDC but to the Health and Human Services Department.

Dr. Norman said he was concerned about it. The data from CDC is used by the state to help monitor surge and surge capacity, he said.

He said it is like being in the middle of a house fire, trying to put out a fire, when somebody comes along and turns down the water available to fight the fire.

Dr. Stites said hospitals here are communicating with each other, and hospitals in the area have hit its highest peak since the beginning of crisis in the number of patients hospitalized. The numbers are continuing to rise, he said.

Dr. Stites reminded people that masks can stop the spread of COVID-19. He said people can see their breath in the winter, if it’s cold enough. At that time, when they breathe out, they can see a little cloud around them, he said. That cloud can travel 3 to 8 feet, he said.

“Your goal is to put a mask on and stop the cloud,” Dr. Stites said. “We can do that and we can keep each other safe, we can keep businesses open and we don’t mess up the economy.”

“When you deny the medical facts, the things you put in jeopardy are your life, your income, your economy and your loved ones,” Dr. Stites said. “That’s a terrible choice. All you have to do is wear a mask.”

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said they are trying to be proactive and keep them healthy. They have seen stories about people who have gone to the bars and gotten sick with COVID-19. They say later they wish they hadn’t gone to the bars, he said.

COVID-19 can have a number of different effects on people, including effects on the lungs, on the central nervous system, on blood clotting, even strokes and heart attacks, with some patients experiencing some symptoms and others experiencing other effects.

Anytime people go out and don’t take precautions, they are rolling the dice for those things to happen, Dr. Hawkinson said.

Dr. Stites said KU Health System has had 380 COVID-19 admissions so far, with 27 deaths, for about 8 percent. He said they have gotten better at treatment since the first, but the disease can still be deadly. It can affect any organ of the body, he said.

“This is a really bad virus,” he said. “It’s preventable.” People prevent it the best way they can, with good hygiene, he added.

On Wednesday morning, KU Health System reported 30 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, including a couple pediatric patients, according to Dr. Hawkinson. Twelve were in the intensive care unit and two were on the ventilator. The number of total patients at the hospital on Monday was 22 and on Tuesday was 25.

Kansas reported a total cumulative 20,933 cases on Wednesday, an increase of 875 cases since Monday, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment figures. The state reported 299 deaths on Wednesday, an increase of 11 deaths since Monday.

Wyandotte County reported 3,151 total cumulative cases at noon on Wednesday, an increase of 37 since 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to the UG’s COVID-19 webpage. The number of total deaths was the same as Tuesday, with no increase, at 88.

The KDHE reported that Johnson County had 3,370 positive total cases on Wednesday, an increase of 210 cases since Monday. The KDHE figures said Wyandotte County had an increase of 220 cases since Monday.

Leavenworth County had an increase of 16 since Monday, for a total of 1,264 cumulative total cases, according to KDHE.

Testing available

Free pop-up testing through the Health Equity Task Force will be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Quindaro Community Center, 2627 Brown Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

Tests also are available each weekday for Wyandotte County residents and workers from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Health Department parking lot, 6th and Ann. For more details on the details and who is eligible for a test, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.

To view the KU doctors’ news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/3699387316755148.

For information on the amended Wyandotte County mask order, visit https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/07142020MaskOrderAmendments.pdf and https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/07142020LocalHealthOfficerOrderMaskAmendments.pdf.