Category: COVID-19

Public health advisory issued for Kansas City metro area

A public health advisory was issued Friday for the Greater Kansas City area about the rapid rise of the delta variant.

The region’s public health departments, including the Wyandotte County Health Department, are issuing the public health advisory in consultation with area hospitals’ chief medical officers, according to a spokesman.

A rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the Greater Kansas City area is related to the emergency of the delta variant, according to the spokesman.

In the advisory, residents are urged to get fully vaccinated.

Also, unvaccinated persons should wear a mask when in indoor public spaces and in crowded outdoor settings, according to the advisory.

In addition, both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents should exercise caution, the advisory stated.

Persons who have any symptoms should stay home when they are sick, according to the advisory.

Those who have underlying medical conditions should get fully vaccinated as soon as possible and wear masks when around persons of unknown vaccination status, according to the advisory.

At this time, unvaccinated residents of all ages who have resumed normal activities without adequate protection are most at risk, particularly immune-compromised individuals, the spokesman said.

The COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to significantly reduce the risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death, according to the spokesman.

Recommendations

The region’s public health departments strongly recommend that residents take precautions to protect themselves and others in their community:

  • Get fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
    • Anyone 12 and older should seek vaccination immediately.
    • Help protect children younger than 12 by ensuring the adults around them are vaccinated.
    • Individuals who have initiated 2-dose vaccination should get their second dose to ensure maximum protection against all COVID-19 strains, including delta.
    • Talk with your friends and family about the importance of getting vaccinated.
    • If you have specific concerns about whether you should get the vaccine, consult your physician.
  • Unvaccinated individuals should wear a mask while visiting indoor public places, in crowded outdoor settings, and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.
    • Be aware that people with underlying medical conditions may not be able to receive full protection from the vaccine and that children younger than 12 are not yet eligible for vaccination. These populations are vulnerable to being exposed to COVID-19.
  • Both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents should exercise caution.
    • Currently, only 40% of Missourians are fully vaccinated. Please assume that 1 in 2 people in any crowd or gathering may be unvaccinated. If you do not know the vaccination status of those around you, resume social distancing of at least 6 feet.
    • If unvaccinated, being in crowds like restaurants, bars, fitness centers, or movie theaters puts you at a higher risk for COVID-19. Avoid indoor spaces that do not offer fresh air from the outdoors as much as possible.
    • Additionally, continue practicing good hand hygiene by washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds.
  • Stay home if you’re sick.
    • Seek testing if you develop or have any symptoms of COVID-19, including mild symptoms similar to a cold or allergies.
  • Individuals with underlying medical conditions should get fully vaccinated as soon as possible and wear masks when around persons of unknown vaccination status.
    • The following conditions are associated with increased risk of death from COVID-19:
    o Age above 65, organ transplant recipient, cancer, diabetes, obesity, chronic heart/lung/kidney/neurologic conditions, rheumatologic conditions such as Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, use of immunosuppressive medications, AIDS, and other immunosuppressive conditions or neurological diseases.

• Having more than one of these conditions may significantly increase the risk of hospitalization or death. For more information, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

To find information about vaccination locations and updated guidance, visit https://wycokck.org/covid-19.

Free COVID-19 vaccines available

Free COVID-19 vaccines will be available from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, July 18, at the New Bethel Church anniversary celebration and block party at 745 Walker Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The 73rd anniversary event is open to the community. There will be games and activities, free household items, inspirational messages, a class and sports car show, family food boxes, free COVID-19 saliva tests, a free lunch and an opportunity to receive up to $40 in gift cards. Vibrant Health will assist with vaccines.

For information on the Unified Government Health Department’s vaccine schedule, see WycoVaccines.org.

Mobile vaccines can still be requested online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1 (913-573-5311).

Other sites available for vaccinations

Free vaccinations at KU Health System are open to the public. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to make an appointment to get vaccinated. KU Health System currently is vaccinating residents of Kansas and Missouri who are 12 or older, by appointment only. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the appointment.

There are also pharmacies giving free COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacies, which are now also accepting walk-in vaccinations or appointments, and are starting vaccinations for age 12 and up at those pharmacies that are giving Pfizer vaccine (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/).

CVS has announced walk-in appointments for COVID-19 vaccine at some of its stores. Those interested in getting a vaccination at a CVS pharmacy are asked to visit a CVS website in order to make sure there is vaccine available. The website is at www.cvs.com/. Walgreens and Walmart also were listed on www.vaccines.gov as giving vaccinations.

Other pharmacies and sites giving vaccines are listed at www.vaccines.gov. The website also tells whether vaccines are in stock at the locations.

Case numbers reported

There were 32 active COVID-19 patients on Friday morning at the University of Kansas Health System, a decrease of five from Thursday, according to Dr. Nathan Bahr, infectious diseases. The number has declined slightly for the first time in more than a week, but the numbers remain the highest the health system has had since Feb. 19. Twelve patients on Friday were in the intensive care unit, an increase of three from Thursday. Three patients were on ventilators, a decrease of one from Thursday. Ten other patients were hospitalized because of COVID-19 but were out of the acute infection phase, an increase of three from Thursday. There were a total 42 COVID patients, a decrease of two from Thursday.

Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 19,436 cases on Friday, an increase of 21 since Thursday, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 300 deaths reported, the same as Thursday.

On Wednesday, July 14, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 37.42 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled 32.49 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 46 percent.

The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 177,303 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Thursday in the Kansas City region. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 77.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 323,385 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Friday, July 16, an increase of 1,121 since July 14. There was a total of 5,197 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of one since July 14.
The KDHE reported 61,138 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on July 16, an increase of 237 since July 14. Leavenworth County had 7,538 cases, an increase of 41 since July 14. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 58,654 cases, an increase of 160 since July 14.

The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Friday night reported 34,053,080 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 608,815 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 28,412 new cases nationwide and 283 new deaths nationwide.
States with high numbers of new cases were Texas, 3,023; Missouri, 2,814; California, 1,794; Louisiana, 1,500; Georgia, 1,362.
Countries with high numbers of new cases were Indonesia, 56,757; Brazil, 52,789; United Kingdom, 48,641; India, 38,949; and U.S., 28,412, according to Johns Hopkins information.

Free testing available

Free COVID-19 testing is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, July 19, at the UG Health Department’s central location, the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Free gift cards are available to those who get a test, while supplies last.


Besides Health Department sites, free COVID-19 testing is available at several locations in Wyandotte County.

Visit gogettested.com/Kansas and https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19 for more sites.

Wyandotte County residents may contact the Health Department at wycohelp.org to sign up for a test to be delivered to their home.

For more details about free COVID-19 testing offered by the UG Health Department, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19, https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept or call 3-1-1.

The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. The department’s Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.

Testing sites are at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. There are more test sites listed on this page.

The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/330310795391910.

The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.

The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.

The Wyandotte County page on the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 website is at https://bao.arcgis.com/covid-19/jhu/county/20209.html.

The Johns Hopkins Data in Motion, a presentation on critical COVID-19 data in the past 24 hours, is at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-daily-video.

Increase reported in COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 vaccines were available to the public on Wednesday at the Red Barn at the Wyandotte County Fair. Vibrant Health was administering the shots. More opportunities for vaccines can be found at WycoVaccines.org. (Photo by Steve Rupert)

Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System are very concerned about the rising number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, reported that KU hospital saw a rise in the number of COVID-19 patients on Thursday morning. There were 37 active COVID-19 patients, up from 29 on Wednesday, he said. The hospital had a total of 44 COVID-19 patients, an increase of five from Wednesday.

Dr. Hawkinson noted that all area hospitals are seeing a rise of mostly unvaccinated patients.

Six of the health system’s 37 COVID-19 patients are vaccinated, but all six had severe co-morbidities such as obesity, diabetes, heart and lung disease, blood cancer and other conditions causing immunosuppression, according to Dr. Hawkinson.

It is frustrating that the rest of the patients are unvaccinated, he said, because vaccines make it a preventable disease.

The vaccines are “life saving and preventive measures that people still don’t want to take for one reason or another, whether it’s politicized, unfortunately, because nobody should die for their political views,” he said. “Whether it’s still feeling like it’s an experiment, whether there’s those misinformation campaigns about infertility, which are completely false, there are various reasons. But none of those reasons are good enough to override the general fact that these vaccines prevent you from going to the hospital, prevent severe illness and death.”

The recent surge in the Midwest is caused by the lessening of restrictions and the lack of vaccinations, especially in rural areas, he said.

Those who get vaccinated while on chemotherapy don’t have the optimal antibodies and t-cell response and need to continue wearing a mask and social distancing, Dr. Hawkinson said. He added that vaccinated people have a significantly reduced chance of transmitting the virus to others.

Free COVID-19 vaccines available

COVID-19 vaccines will be available at the Monarchs baseball game at 5:30 p.m. Friday, July 16, at Legends Field. Those vaccinated will receive a gift and be eligible to enter a raffle to win a 20-person suite at a future baseball game.

The Unified Government Health Department’s central vaccine location at the former Kmart store, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, will be open to those age 12 and older from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. Walk-ins will be accepted. For more information, see WycoVaccines.org.


Mobile vaccines can still be requested online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1 (913-573-5311).

Other sites available for vaccinations

Free vaccinations at KU Health System are open to the public. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to make an appointment to get vaccinated. KU Health System currently is vaccinating residents of Kansas and Missouri who are 12 or older, by appointment only. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the appointment.

There are also pharmacies giving free COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacies, which are now also accepting walk-in vaccinations or appointments, and are starting vaccinations for age 12 and up at those pharmacies that are giving Pfizer vaccine (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/).

CVS has announced walk-in appointments for COVID-19 vaccine at some of its stores. Those interested in getting a vaccination at a CVS pharmacy are asked to visit a CVS website in order to make sure there is vaccine available. The website is at www.cvs.com/. Walgreens and Walmart also were listed on www.vaccines.gov as giving vaccinations.

Other pharmacies and sites giving vaccines are listed at www.vaccines.gov. The website also tells whether vaccines are in stock at the locations. There were more than 50 vaccine sites listed within 25 miles of one Wyandotte County Zip Code.

Case numbers reported

There were 37 active COVID-19 patients on Thursday morning at the University of Kansas Health System, an increase of eight from Wednesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Nine patients were in the intensive care unit, an increase of one from Wednesday. Four patients were on ventilators, an increase of two since Wednesday. Seven other patients were hospitalized because of COVID-19 but were out of the acute infection phase, a decrease of three from Wednesday. There were a total 44 COVID patients, an increase of five from Wednesday.

Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 19,415 cases on Thursday, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 300 deaths reported, the same as Wednesday.
On Wednesday, July 14, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 37.42 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled 32.49 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 46 percent.

The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 177,303 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Thursday in the Kansas City region. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 77.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 322,264 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Wednesday, July 14, an increase of 1,155 since July 12. There was a total of 5,196 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of eight since July 12.
The KDHE reported 60,901 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on July 14, an increase of 304 since July 12. Leavenworth County had 7,497 cases, an increase of 55 since July 12. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 58,494 cases, an increase of 113 since July 12.

The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Thursday night reported 33,974,299 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 608,387 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 31,845 new cases nationwide and 331 new deaths nationwide.
States with high numbers of new cases were Texas, 5,066; California, 2,566; Missouri, 2,255; Arizona, 1,945; and Louisiana, 1,936.
Countries with high numbers of new cases were Brazil, 57,736; Indonesia, 54,517; United Kingdom, 42,183; India, 41,733; and U.S., 31,845, according to Johns Hopkins information.

Free testing available

Free COVID-19 testing is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, July 16, at the UG Health Department’s central location, the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Free gift cards are available to those who get a test.
Besides Health Department sites, free COVID-19 testing is available at several locations in Wyandotte County.

Visit gogettested.com/Kansas and https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19 for more sites.

Wyandotte County residents may contact the Health Department at wycohelp.org to sign up for a test to be delivered to their home.

For more details about free COVID-19 testing offered by the UG Health Department, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19, https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept or call 3-1-1.

The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. The department’s Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.

Testing sites are at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. There are more test sites listed on this page.

Saliva testing is now offered at the UG Health Department. For more information, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/02042021-ugphd-saliva-testing-available.pdf.

The University of Kansas Health System morning media update is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/2812046135682667.

The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/330310795391910.

The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.

The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.

The Wyandotte County page on the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 website is at https://bao.arcgis.com/covid-19/jhu/county/20209.html.

The Johns Hopkins Data in Motion, a presentation on critical COVID-19 data in the past 24 hours, is at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-daily-video.

Judge strikes down Kansas COVID-19 emergency powers law, rejects challenge to school mask rule

by Kyle Palmer, Shawnee Mission Post and Kansas News Service

If the ruling stands, local governments would have more power to enact rules in response to a pandemic.

A Johnson County judge has ruled that a law passed this spring to curtail local governments’ emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic is unconstitutional.

In the same ruling, Judge David Hauber sided with the Shawnee Mission School District in dismissing two parents’ complaints over not being given public hearings under the law to challenge the district’s mask rules last school year.

Hauber ruled that the law’s accelerated process for allowing citizens to raise grievances against COVID-19 policies deprives local governments — including school districts — of due process and violates the separation of powers between the legislative and judicial branches.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Derek Schmidt said his office plans to appeal the decision.

The ruling comes as COVID-19 case numbers are again rising in Kansas, the Kansas City area and beyond, driven by a surge caused by the more contagious Delta variant.

Local school districts are deciding what, if any, pandemic protocols will be in place when students return to in-person classes next month, including mask rules.

While other Johnson County public school districts have already said they plan to make masks optional, SMSD has yet to finalize its policy for next school year.

In responding to the judge’s request for a brief in the case, Schmidt contended that SB 40 is now moot, following the expiration of the statewide disaster emergency on June 15, and a ruling on its constitutionality was not needed.

But Hauber rejected that reasoning, in part, because he said some of the law’s provisions could be used again if another disaster emergency, whether pandemic-related or not, is issued in the future.

Hauber explicitly mentioned the Delta variant in his decision, suggesting a sudden increase in case numbers could lead to a new state of emergency, in which some of SB 40’s provisions could be in play again.

For these reasons, Hauber said SB 40 still raised “significant due process issues.”

Most critically, Hauber said SB 40’s truncated process for allowing citizen grievances violated local governments’ due process rights.

“Under the guise of giving local governments the authority to address specific pandemic issues, SB 40 actually hobbled local pandemic measures by ensuring that lawsuits would be filed, aided by swift court action. Many local units of government simply capitulated under the pressure, Hauber wrote.

He noted that SB 40 required local governmental bodies, like school boards, to take up citizens’ challenges within 72 hours and then gave them seven days to reach a decision.

Similarly short timeframes governed how quickly local courts had to hear appeals to local governments’ decisions to such challenges.

Hauber said this “hurry up and decide” method essentially gave the advantage to complaining citizens and “dangles default (judgment) as the ultimate stick.”

Schmidt admitted as much in his brief defending SB 40, contending that if a school board was not able to justify its COVID-19 restrictions within the timeframe laid out by SB 40, then “judgment should be entered in favor of school children.”

But Hauber sided with local governments in dismissing that notion, citing SMSD’s own brief, which argued that SB 40 never addressed the “best interests of students” but solely focused on “adult, political concerns.”

Ultimately, Hauber said SB 40 is “unenforceable” because of the quick timeframe laid out in its provisions.

Hauber also sided with SMSD against two parents who had brought suit against the district for not giving them a public hearing under SB 40 in order to challenge the rule that masks be worn inside school buildings at all times last school year.

The judge noted that neither parent was harmed by the district’s mask policy.

One parent received a medical exemption for her child. And the second parent chose not to obtain an exemption, Hauber said, “preferring to attack the mask policy” instead.

“The Court is not critical of any parent who feels strongly that government action might be regarded as arbitrary or even harmful to one’s child,” Hauber wrote. “But there are existing legal procedures to address such potential violations.”

What happens next: Schmidt’s office says it plans to appeal Hauber’s ruling.

In a statement Thursday, Clint Blaes, the director of communications for the attorney general’s office, said:

“On its own volition, the district court created a controversy about the statute where none exists now that the state of emergency has ended. Attorney General Schmidt strongly disagrees with the ruling in this case. We plan to appeal to defend the validity of the statute as it was enacted by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Kelly.”

SMSD also did not immediately return a request for comment on how the ruling could impact the school board’s upcoming deliberations on COVID-19 protocols going into the new school year.

Read the judge’s full ruling:
https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/05/f4/b4d4bb7c4cadb19b6fc2dbb9e82d/haubersb40ruling.pdf
This story was originally published on the Shawnee Mission Post.

The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.