Category: COVID-19

COVID vaccinations for kids available at former Kmart facility

Wednesday, Nov. 10, was the first full day the Unified Government Health Department was offering free COVID-19 vaccinations to children ages 5-11 at the former Kmart facility, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

Appointments are not needed for COVID-19 vaccinations at the former Kmart facility.

Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Families will fill out a short intake form while they wait in line.

Pediatric nurses with experience working with young children will be on site to help with COVID vaccines for kids.

After receiving their vaccinations, children need to wait for 15 minutes in the observation area.

The Health Department will work with schools to offer other COVID vaccine opportunities for kids ages 5-11 in November and December.

For more information about vaccines, visit wycovaccines.org or call 311.
Other vaccine locations are at vaccines.gov.

Kansas governor, attorney general both oppose federal vaccine mandate

by Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — The two prominent candidates for governor in next year’s election share at least one political stance.

They both say President Joe Biden’s latest COVID-19 vaccine mandate is bad for Kansas.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt have issued statements objecting to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s new policy requiring private businesses with at least 100 employees to ensure workers are vaccinated or submit to weekly testing and wear a face covering.

Schmidt’s opposition to the mandate was expected. Last week, he joined a lawsuit opposing Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors. In testimony before the Legislature’s government overreach committee, he indicated he would oppose future mandates as well.

On Thursday, when the new mandate was announced, Schmidt said he would file a lawsuit in response. A spokesman for his campaign said Schmidt still intends to file a third lawsuit over a new Medicaid and Medicare rule that requires nursing home staff to be vaccinated against the deadly virus.

“The Biden administration is about to publish yet another federal vaccine mandate, this one using OSHA to target thousands of Kansas private businesses and their workers,” Schmidt said. “As I said weeks ago, we have been waiting for publication of this action that the president announced Sept. 9. … We are reviewing it, and we will challenge it in court soon.”

Kelly responded Friday by saying she shares a goal with the president of keeping safe but doesn’t believe the directive is “the correct, or the most effective, solution for Kansas.”

“States have been leading the fight against COVID-19 from the start of the pandemic,” Kelly said. “It is too late to impose a federal standard now that we have already developed systems and strategies that are tailored for our specific needs. I will seek a resolution that continues to recognize the uniqueness of our state and builds on our on-going efforts to combat a once-in-a-century crisis.”

COVID-19 has killed more than 6,400 Kansans and hospitalized more than 15,000 since the start of the pandemic. As of Wednesday, the Kansas Department for Health and Environment was tracking 164 active outbreaks across the state — including 10 with at least five infections connected to long-term care facilities, three at private businesses, and five at public and private schools.

The safe and effective vaccines are available for free, but just 53.4% of the state population is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That includes 63.5% of Kansans ages 12 and older, and 65.5% of adults.

Nationwide, 67% of the population is fully vaccinated, including 78.4% of Americans 12 and older and 80.3% of adults.

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/2021/11/05/kansas-governor-attorney-general-both-oppose-federal-vaccine-mandate/

COVID-19 booster shots now available

COVID-19 boosters for Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson will be available for eligible individuals at the Unified Government Health Department vaccination site beginning Wednesday, according to a spokesman.

The UG Health Department’s vaccination site, at the former Kmart store at 7836 State Ave., will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday for vaccinations, including booster shots for those who are eligible.

The FDA has authorized the booster shots for those who are eligible, and there have been recommendations issued by the CDC and Kansas Department of Health and Environment, according to a Health Department spokesman.

The UG Health Department has listed the eligibility guidelines for the booster shots:

Those who previously got a Pfizer or Moderna are eligible for a booster if:


• You received a 2-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccine, and
• You got your second dose at least 6 months ago, and
• You are in one of the following groups:
o Age 65 or older, or
o Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings, or
o Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions, or
o Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings.

If you previously got Johnson and Johnson, you are eligible for a booster if:

• You received a single dose of J&J (Janssen/Johnson & Johnson), and
• You got your first dose at least 2 months ago, and
• You are age 18 or older.


What to know when you go to get your booster:
• Please bring your vaccination card to show when you received your previous dose.
• You may request to get a different type of vaccine for your booster if you wish. Let the staff on site know if you have a preferred type of vaccine for your booster.

Where to get your initial COVID vaccination or booster in Wyandotte County:

• Search for a vaccine site by location and vaccine type at vaccines.gov
• UG Public Health Department’s vaccination site:
o Former Kmart building, 7836 State Ave, Kansas City, Kansas
o Wednesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. No appointment needed.
o Offering Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson. This includes first doses, second doses (Pfizer and Moderna), and boosters.
o Learn more at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1 (913-573-5311)

Case numbers reported

Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 24,616 cases on Tuesday, Oct. 26, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative total of 375 deaths on Tuesday.

The Mid-America Regional Council reported 223,677 cumulative cases on Tuesday in Greater Kansas City, a nine-county area. There were a cumulative total of 3,098 deaths. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 76