In Wyandotte County, there were 2,798 total cumulative cases on Friday, up 38 from Thursday’s 2,760, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There was no increase in deaths from Thursday; the number remained the same at 87.There were COVID-19 cases in 100 Kansas counties on Friday, according to the KDHE. (KDHE map)Kansas had 993 additional cases from Wednesday to Friday, according to the KDHE COVID-19 webpage. (KDHE chart)
Kansas on Friday reported an increase of 993 positive COVID-19 cases since Wednesday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s COVID-19 webpage.
There were two more deaths on Friday than on Wednesday, according to the KDHE. In all, there were 18,611 cumulative total cases in Kansas, with 284 cumulative total deaths.
In Wyandotte County, there were 2,798 total cumulative cases on Friday, up 38 from Thursday’s 2,760, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. There was no increase in deaths from Thursday; the number remained the same at 87. The percent positivity, the rate of those who tested positive, was 15.7 percent.
Increases seen in counties
Johnson County went from 2,565 on Wednesday to 2,804 on Friday, an increase of 239 cases, according to KDHE figures.
Leavenworth County increased from 1,200 on Wednesday to 1,232 on Friday, an increase of 32 cases, KDHE reported.
Sedgwick County, the Wichita area, reported 2,074 cases, up 152 cases from 1,922 on Wednesday, according to KDHE.
Shawnee County, the Topeka area, reported 962 cases, up 84 from 878 on Wednesday, KDHE reported.
Confirmed case at Hutchison Correctional Facility
Today, the Kansas Department of Corrections announced that one staff member at Hutchison Correctional Facility has tested positive for COVID-19. According to the spokesman, it is the seventh KDOC facility with confirmed cases. The first cases were reported at Lansing Correctional Facility. The staff member is a man over the age of 20, according to the spokesman.
Mandatory mask wearing went into effect for staff on July 3, with mask wearing in effect for residents on July 6, according to the spokesman. According to KDOC, the living unit where the staff member worked will be quarantined in place for 14 days at least, and will be tested. Contact tracing was conducted to determine who had been in close contact. The other staff and residents will be monitored for symptoms, according to the spokesman. The facility houses 1,884 men in three buildings.
Sporting KC player tests positive
Sporting Kansas City reported Friday that one of its players has tested positive for COVID-19. The player tested positive on two consecutive days, according to a news release. Five days had elapsed since the club traveled to Orlando on July 5.
According to Sporting KC spokesman, all other persons in the club delegation have negative test results. The delegation now will test daily for a 14-day period.
Sporting will play Minnesota United FC at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, in the MLS is Back Tournament.
According to the league’s protocol, the individual who tested positive was relocated to an isolation area after evaluation by a telehealth physician. The player is being isolated in a room in a designated area of the hotel, under a strict and detailed protocol to minimize the risk of transmission, according to the spokesman. The individual is being monitored and tested daily while in isolation. Contact tracing is also taking place.
Before traveling to Florida, members of the club delegation underwent numerous PCR tests for COVID-19 to detect active COVID-19 infection. They also had a serology (antibody) test to detect the presence of antibodies in response to a past infection.
Hospital cases total about the same
There was a slight increase in the number of COVID-19 patients on Fridaymorning at the University of Kansas Health System. There were 22 COVID-19 patients, an increase of one from Thursday, with seven in the intensive care unit, down from nine on Thursday, and three on ventilators, the same as Thursday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the KU Health System. Dr. Hawkinson said there were discharges and new admissions.
Although it’s not yet certain, he thinks a COVID-19 vaccine will probably be an annual shot.
Dr. Jessica Kalender-Rich, member of the national Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes, said there will soon be a public forum for providing input.
Dr. Kalender-Rich said schools will have to get creative in finding solutions to reopening, including how to make school buses safer. They may have to consider half-full school buses and half-full classrooms.
Physical distancing, masks and washing hands will continue to be the key to reducing the spread of COVID-19, Dr. Kalender-Rich said.
Testing offered
Testing is offered at the UG Health Department parking lot, 6th and Ann, on Mondays through Fridays. New hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. The free tests are for those who live and work in Wyandotte County, and who have symptoms.
There are also pop-up tests available through the Health Equity Task Force.
Wyandotte County now 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.
Wyandotte County reported 2,760 positive COVID-19 cases at 1:20 p.m. Thursday, as compared to 2,688 cases at 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 website. It was an increase of 72 cases. There also were two more deaths reported from Wednesday to Thursday, for a cumulative total of 87, according to the UG COVID-19 website. (UG COVID-19 webpage)A seven-day rolling average of positive cases in Wyandotte County showed some increase around July 1. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)
COVID-19 cases are rising in the nation, in Kansas and locally, and Wyandotte County will be staying in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan, according to Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer of Wyandotte County.
The Wyandotte County Health Department gave a report on COVID-19 here during the 7 p.m. Unified Government Commission meeting on July 9. Wyandotte County has been in Phase 3 since June 8.
Dr. Greiner said at the UG meeting that they will “continue to watch the data, and if things continue the way they are now, we need to be cautious.”
Wyandotte County reported 2,760 positive COVID-19 cases at 1:20 p.m. Thursday, as compared to 2,688 cases at 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 website. It was an increase of 72 cases. There also were two more deaths reported from Wednesday to Thursday, for a cumulative total of 87, according to the UG COVID-19 website.
Dr. Erin Corriveau, deputy medical officer with the UG Health Department, said the rate of positive cases per 100,000 population in Wyandotte County recently was 1,636, much higher than surrounding counties and the Missouri side. The state of Kansas rate was 606, Johnson County was 425 and Kansas City, Missouri, was 479.
The seven-day rolling averages for positive cases hit a peak around July 1, then declined a little, but there is still an uptick in new cases, which worries them a little, she said.
COVID-19 deaths in Wyandotte County have been very low since June, according to a Health Department chart. The averages were showing less than one death per day.
The percent positivity rate, a seven-day average of positive test percentages, declined to 5.4 percent in May, then gradually has been working its way upwards to around 15.5 percent, she said.
Dr. Greiner reported that in race-specific case rates, the number of Asian American cases was high. He said the number was high because of an outbreak at the Triumph foods meatpacking plant in St. Joseph, Missouri, and the Kansas City Steak Co., where some Wyandotte County residents work.
The COVID-19 rate for African-Americans in Wyandotte County is similar, but a little higher, than the rate for whites, he said. Death rates are higher among African-Americans than other groups, and he added he would like to increase testing.
Positive case rates of Hispanics are more than twice as high than for non-Hispanics, according to a Health Department chart. Testing rates are about even for Hispanics and non-Hispanics. Dr. Greiner said he would like to see more testing of Hispanics.
Elizabeth Groenweghe, chief epidemiologist at the Health Department, said they were monitoring several outbreaks currently in Wyandotte County.
Outbreaks with new cases or that haven’t been reported here previously included Bonner Springs Nurse and Rehab Center, where there were 35 cases and the last case was reported July 6; Edwardsville Care and Rehab 5 cases, with the last case reported July 6; and Burger King, 4004 Rainbow Blvd., 6 cases, with the last case reported July 2
Also, Groenweghe listed two gathering outbreaks, including a family gathering and a gathering for a funeral. The family gathering had eight cases and the funeral had six cases, she said.
“People are starting to have more gatherings like baby showers, bachelorette parties, funerals and birthday parties,” she said. Often, a person that attended the party later tests positive for COVID-19, and others at that party or gathering could develop it later as well, she said.
Dr. Greiner said they don’t think there is a lot of foodborne illness spread from COVID-19. They think the coronavirus is spread inside meatpacking plants and food plants through aerosolized particles. It’s not a big problem for those who purchase food, but it is a problem for those who work there and may get the disease when they inhale particles in the air. He added they have to protect workers and their families.
Juliann Van Liew, UG Health Department director, said there frequently have been lines around the Health Department’s parking lot, where COVID-19 patients are tested.
In order to deal with the demand for testing, the Health Department is bringing on five medical assistants next week to ramp up its staffing capacity, she said. It also will provide a little rest for staff members who have been working outdoors in the heat.
During the past 10 days, the Health Department has tested more than 200 people, with the highest number last Monday, at 310.
The Health Department expanded its testing hours and now will give COVID-19 tests from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., she said. Before this, testing was in the afternoons. The new hours will avoid some of the harshest heat, she added.
They also are looking for other locations, she added.
Countywide, the percent positivity is about 15 percent, but at the Health Department, it’s about 25 percent, which is very high, she added. One reason it’s high is they are not testing asymptomatic people, and another reason is that there is a lot of community spread here, she said.
The Health Department also has started asking people who want tests if they live or work in Wyandotte County. They were seeing quite a lot of people from other communities who were asking for tests, she added. Now they are asking people for some form of identification, such as a driver’s license, a work badge or mail with their name and address on it.
Dr. Greiner said the local mask order went into effect on July 1, then the governor issued a mask order on July 3. Wyandotte County decided to adopt the governor’s order, with some clarification on offices. They are fine-tuning some questions about masks and day cares and sports, and will probably post it in their frequently asked questions.
He said they’re doing the same type of enforcement as the “stay-at-home” order, using education first. A fine would be possible for a second violation, according to Dr. Greiner.
They are working on extensive signs and materials to be distributed to local businesses, he added. He said it would probably take long-term communication efforts and campaigning to get people to change their behavior.
“I think we will lead the state in this effort,” Dr. Greiner said. “We can change our behavior, and I think everyone will realize they’re going to need to do that relatively soon.”
Dr. Corriveau said the numbers of hospitalized patients have stayed very stable at the University of Kansas Health System and at Providence Medical Center. However, they are seeing a slight uptick in hospitalizations on the Kansas City, Missouri, side, she said, and they are worried about spillover from those hospitals eventually.
She said they are staying in close contact with the hospitals every day, checking on capacity of intensive care unit beds and ventilators. She said the number of hospitalizations was very important, however, they haven’t had as much access to hospitalization figures for the metropolitan area as they wanted. Recently, more hospitalization numbers have become available through the Mid-America Regional Council, she said.
“We’re still going forward with this goal of not overwhelming the health system,” Dr. Corriveau said. They still talk about personal protective equipment availability, she added. The first course of action if there was a large increase of cases at area hospitals would be to cut off accepting transfers into those hospitals, and they may think about decreasing the amount of elective surgeries, but currently, they’re not there yet, she said.
Hospitals report rising numbers of cases
Some hospitals reported rising numbers of cases at a video news conference at 8 a.m. Thursday sponsored by the University of Kansas Health System.
Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, has seen a significant uptick in patients, according to Dr. Mark Steele, executive chief clinical officer. There were 24 patients in the hospital Thursday morning, including eight in the intensive care unit and four on ventilators, he said.
Also, he said they are seeing an increase in younger people requiring hospitalization. About a third of the patients are under 50, he added. Two were in their 20s and four were in their 30s, he said. One intubated patient was in the mid-30s and one was in the mid-40s.
“In an effort to help prevent transmission of the virus, we were recently back out in the community handing out face masks,” Dr. Steele said. “We’re very passionate about folks wearing face masks to help protect themselves and protect others.”
Up to 35 percent of the patients with COVID-19 may have no symptoms, and over half the cases may result from exposure to asymptomatic persons, he said. This really highlights the need to wear masks and social distance, he added.
Dr. Larry Botts, chief medical officer at Advent Health – Shawnee MIssion, said they were pretty fortunate last week, and they currently have nine COVID-19 inpatients with one in the ICU and none on ventilators. They had a tiny surge about a week and a half ago, he added.
The outpatient positivity rate has gone up, however, he said. It was mostly in the younger population, he added. That’s probably why they are not seeing as many inpatients, and hospitalizations haven’t gone up.
They went from a 4 to 5 percent positivity rate a few weeks ago, and last week it was up to 12 percent and still increasing, he added. They had an increase in their outpatient testing, he added. Asymptomatic patients being tested before procedures have a rate that has remained fairly low, he added.
Dr. Botts said he recommended wearing masks, and they need to keep stressing that.
Dr. Raghu Adiga, chief medical officer of Liberty Hospital in Missouri, said things have changed at his hospital. Most of their COVID-19 cases a few weeks ago came from a nearby long-term care facility, but even that has changed, he added. Currently they have 14 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, two in ICU and two intubated.
Eight of the 14 were less than 60 years old, five were less than 50 and three were in their 30s, he said. Nine were from the community, he added. A couple of the patients in their 30s had no underlying problems, he added.
This really speaks to the need for distancing and wearing masks, Dr. Adiga said. People may have let their guards down, and the numbers are going up.
He said he believes Liberty Hospital has enough capacity. He also said one of the long-term care homes in that area is considering converting into a home for people with COVID-19.
“We’ve been the busiest we’ve been with COVID in the last few months,” he said.
KU Health System reported 21 patients on Thursday morning, with nine in the ICU and three on the ventilator, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said. The numbers seem to be ticking up, he said.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said they were ticking up, but still stable in the low 20 range.
Dr. Hawkinson said he feels that COVID-19 is not yet at a peak, but is in an expansion mode. They won’t really know that until there is full testing, he added.
Dr. Stites said they bent the curve before, and opening up doesn’t mean being reckless. They’re not opening up as in the past; now people should make sure they wear a mask, he said.
Wyandotte County now 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.
COVID-19 case numbers in Wyandotte County rose by 53 from 1 p.m. Tuesday to 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to figures from the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. The total cumulative cases were 2,688 in Wyandotte County, and the number of deaths, 85, stayed the same as Tuesday. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)Kansas had an increase of 717 COVID-19 cases from Monday to Wednesday, according to the KDHE. (KDHE graphic)
As the nation passed the 3 million mark for positive COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the top health official in Kansas said the trend of increasing cases here can be reversed.
Kansas positive COVID-19 cases went up by 717 since Monday, for a total of 17,618, Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said. There were two more deaths in the state since Monday, for a total of 282.
“We are seeing a significant increase in cases,” Dr. Norman said.
As society returns to normal, some people have started gathering and have not always followed health guidelines, according to Dr. Norman. The increased numbers can be reversed, he believes.
It is now, more than ever, essential to take precautions, he said. It’s not necessary to go back a step in the reopening plan if people can continue the basics of social distancing, wearing a mask in public, hand washing and staying at home when sick, he said.
He added there have been some cases traced to people who went to work when they were sick with a low-grade fever.
“It really amazed me that people are still going to work sick when they shouldn’t,” Dr. Norman said. And people should avoid gatherings, he added.
Gatherings are often where the coronavirus is spread, he said. He added he understands the need for businesses to be kept open, but measures such as wearing masks, social distancing can be implemented. He said he advises youth not to hang around others without distancing and having masks.
Dr. Norman said in a 4 p.m. news conference that the number of clusters or outbreaks caused by gatherings had increased by seven in Kansas since Monday. They included gatherings, parties, family get-togethers and church services, he said. There were a total of 23 active clusters caused by gatherings, he said.
In all there were 15 more outbreaks across all categories since Monday. The state had a total of 250 clusters, including 120 active ones, that accounted for 6,726 cases and 211 deaths, he said.
He said the state has been successful in stopping corrections outbreaks by testing as quickly as possible, isolating and quarantining cases, contact tracing and more testing for the staff and residents. Testing and quarantining has been repeated until there is only a very small number left. The numbers included in the positive cases count only one test per person.
Dr. Norman said testing in Kansas has increased threefold since April, when they conducted 26,000 tests.
He added he had heard there were longer waiting times now for test results from commercial labs, and said the state lab’s turnaround time is about 24 hours.
Many counties have opted out of the governor’s mandatory mask order, but studies are showing that mask-wearing and social distancing are stopping the virus in other countries. It will probably take as many as 28 days to see a change in case numbers from mask-wearing.
Dr. Norman cited some scientific studies that supported measures to contain the spread of the virus. One was published July 8 in the publication, “Nature.” The study of the effectiveness of anticontagion policies in many countries showed the COVID-19 infections grow roughly 38 percent per day when they are unabated, he said.
The COVID-19 curve started slowly and now it is growing exponentially, he said.
Anticontagion policies significantly slowed this growth, delaying 62 million cases across six countries, he said.
Another recent article in the journal “Health Affairs” concluded that state mandates in the United States showed a drop between 1 and 2 percent every day, he said. That is a significant drop after 30 days, he said. It also showed a ninefold decrease in COVID-19 per capita mortality rates.
“Masks work,” Dr. Norman said.
COVID-19 patient numbers down slightly at KU Health System
The University of Kansas Health System on Wednesday morning had 19 COVID-19 patients, down from 22 on Tuesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the KU Health System.
There were nine patients in the intensive care unit and three on ventilators, according to Dr. Hawkinson, with one more ICU patient and one more ventilator patient since Tuesday. They have had some discharges and some admissions.
It’s not likely that elective surgeries will be shut down again at the hospital if there is a second wave of COVID-19 cases, according to Dr. Sean Kumer, vice president of perioperative and procedural services and a transplant surgeon at KU Health System. KU Health System went from about 300 surgeries and procedures a day to about 75 during that period, but is now back to doing procedures again.
The hospital now has enough personal protective equipment, tests and medications, and has implemented safety measures, he said. They are currently working through a backlog of procedures that had been delayed earlier. The hospital is safer than it was prior to COVID-19, with all the safety procedures, and is now better prepared to handle a surge of patients than it was in March, he said. He said he would hope the hospital has input into any action that may be considered to shut down elective surgeries.
He urged people to maintain their regularly scheduled procedures, and said it was safe to continue with them.
Dr. Kumer said they are currently working around a handful of physicians who are on quarantine, mostly for exposure to someone else. According to the doctors, this commonly happens when a young family member is exposed to someone else who has COVID-19.
There have been no documented cases of patients contracting the disease while in the hospital, according to Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer of KU Health System.
He added that there is enough capacity at KU Health System to handle an increase, with the number of hospital beds, ICU bed, personal protective gear and medications.
While people in their 20s may feel they will never get COVID-19, if that person makes family members in their 40s or 60s ill, then reality will set in, he said. He urged people to stay safe.
According to Dr. Hawkinson, doctors at the hospital have been fine-tuning their treatments for COVID-19 patients, and have learned a lot since the beginning of the pandemic. Currently, the age of most patients is younger, and they don’t stay in the hospital as long, typically. More of them are recovering, currently.
Wyandotte County cases increase by 53
COVID-19 case numbers in Wyandotte County rose by 53 from 1 p.m. Tuesday to 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to figures from the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage.
The total cumulative cases were 2,688 in Wyandotte County, and the number of deaths, 85, stayed the same as Tuesday.
The KDHE reported 2,565 cases in Johnson County on Wednesday as compared to 2,349 on Monday, an increase of 216 . Leavenworth County now has 1,200 cases, an increase of 6 since Monday, according to KDHE.
UG Health Department: Staying in Phase 3
The UG Health Department today stated that Wyandotte County is staying in Phase 3 of the state’s Ad Astra reopening plan. Phase 3 already had been extended through July 6, but that was not an end date, but only the minimum amount of time the county would remain in Phase 3, according to local health officials.
Phase 3 remains in effect in Wyandotte County, as high numbers of positive cases continue, according to the Health Department. Wyandotte County also is under the governor’s mask order, which went into effect last Friday. It replaced a local Wyandotte County mask order that was issued June 27.
Wyandotte County has amended the governor’s mask order to define public space as including public and private offices where more than one person is congregating, work spaces where more than one person is present, and any area of the office complex where more than one person is present, such as a kitchen or break room. Phase 3 and the mask order are mandatory in Wyandotte County.
Wyandotte County now 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.
