Category: Health

Some fall sports and activities in Wyandotte County were prohibited today by a local health officer order.

The order, which goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, will prohibit football, volleyball, soccer and marching band events. The order was from Dr. Allen Greiner, Wyandotte County health officer.

The order applies to public and private schools, kindergarten through 12th grade, along with higher education, non-professional sports clubs and organizations operating in Wyandotte County.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools already have suspended fall KSHSAA sports in a school board vote on Aug. 11, and it applies to football, volleyball, cross country, girls tennis, boys soccer, marching band and spirit squad.

The Turner Public Schools will comply with the order, while continuing to offer practices and conditioning, as allowed by the health order, according to a spokesman. The health order says practice and conditioning may continue in the sports if the participants can maintain 6 feet of social distancing.

Kansas City Kansas Community College already had announced on July 22 that all fall sports would be postponed this fall and winter, through a vote of the National Junior College Athletic Association membership.

A lot of schools are now discussing fall sports and are in the process of determining what this will mean for the school year, the students and families, said Janell Friesen, a Health Department spokesman.

Besides the KCK and Turner districts, the Health Department has had support from other educational leaders in the area who have worked with the Wyandotte County health officers on the issue, she said.

“I think everyone is disappointed to see a change like this,” she said. “It’s going to be a difficult change going into an already challenging school year for people. This is just a way to help prevent further spread of COVID-19, and keep the schools, students and families as safe as we can.”

“Turner USD 202 has reviewed the order related to student sports and activities. Creating an environment where students are safe and protected is our top priority. While disappointed about the prospect of not competing in contact sports and marching band, we respect the leadership of the Wyandotte County Public Health Department and their data-based approach to community safety,” said Dr. Jason Dandoy, superintendent, in a news release. “Turner USD 202 will continue to offer practices and conditioning sessions for students that comply with the order. We look forward to returning to competition as soon as safely possible.”

“The decision to suspend sports is not easy because we all understand the emotional impact this decision may have on so many of our students, their families and the range of professionals who work with them,” said Randy Lopez, president of the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools Board of Education. “Because the health and welfare of our staff, students and their families are paramount, erring on the side of caution is essential. The school district is committed to doing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our city, county and particularly within our district. KCKPS will continue to work collaboratively with the Wyandotte County Public Health Department as we review our options in the fall based on the status of the pandemic. We believe this conscious effort to help reduce the spread of the virus is an important safeguard to ensure a safe return to sports.”

At the Piper school district, administrators were having a meeting after receiving the health order today. There was no comment at that time.

The Bonner Springs School District, through Kaela Williams, communications coordinator, released this statement: “USD 204 is currently reviewing the Health Order issued today by Wyandotte County pertaining to athletics and activities. We remain focused on protecting the health and safety of all students and staff, and this carries over into our athletic programs. We appreciate the leadership and guidance Wyandotte County has provided through this process. The district recognizes the impact these programs have on our school community and we will continue evaluating how activities can safely be carried out this fall.”

“Ensuring the continued safety of our entire community, including students and school staff, has been and remains our top priority,” Mayor David Alvey said. “Today’s decision by public health officials, in coordination with local school districts, is intended to provide consistent guidance at all levels to reduce potential exposure and prevent another spike in the number of positives cases in our community. From the beginning, Wyandotte County has followed the advice of its medical experts, and it will continue to do so. As a school administrator for nearly 30 years, I understand the importance of sports and extracurricular activities in the formation and development of young persons. I am disappointed and saddened that our students continue to be impacted by this prolonged pandemic, both in the classroom as well as on the field and the court, and look forward to a return to normalcy not only for our children but the entire community.”

According to a Unified Government Health Department news release, Wyandotte County medical officers have relied on COVID-19 data to guide the county’s response to the pandemic. After a peak in new cases in July, the 7-day rolling averages of new positive cases have begun to decline.

This could be due in part to measures such as requiring masks or face coverings, according to the Health Department spokesman. However, COVID-19 is still very much a threat to the community, the spokesman stated.

Cases numbers are still high compared to earlier this spring, the positivity rate, which is the percentage of people tested who test positive for COVID-19, has not declined, and Wyandotte County still has the highest rate of COVID-19 in the metropolitan area, according to the Health Department.

The mask and face coverings order was issued in direct response to a spike in new positive COVID-19 cases following the relaxation of stay-at-home orders, according to the Health Department.

The mask order went into effect June 30, and another spike was reported around July 16, according to data. Since then, the numbers have decreased significantly, but are still around as high as some of the April numbers.

“Even though our rolling, seven-day average case numbers seem to be coming down, we need to do everything we can to continue that progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in our community. We saw a spike in the number of cases after the Stay At Home order was lifted in May, and we have continued to see more spread of the virus throughout the summer. This new guidance will help protect our students, coaches, teachers, and families,  and, we hope, help prevent another spike in case numbers,” said Dr. Erin Corriveau, deputy medical officer with the Unified Government Health Department.  

According to the Health Department, the new sports orders will prevent a spike i positive cases through exposure from sports and activities where it is difficult to maintain social distancing or wear masks; provide consistent guidance for all non-professional sports at all levels; and reduce the possibility of more restrictive future measures.

“We needed to provide consistent guidance for fall sports at all levels,” explained Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer for the Unified Government Health Department. “We’ve seen how challenging it has been for professional sports such as Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL) and college football conferences to create and enforce protocols designed to protect players and coaches. If these large, extremely well-funded organizations can’t protect their players and coaches, it is unlikely that local school districts and sports clubs will be able to protect student athletes and athletic staff. That’s why this guidance covers all nonprofessional sports organizations regardless of their organizational type or status.”

There is no end date on the Health Department’s sports order, according to Friesen. It will remain in effect until conditions in Wyandotte County warrant a change or modification, she said.

“We need to keep a close eye on what’s happening with cases and spread in the community,” she said, “to determine when it would be safe to remove any restrictions.”

They will have to continue looking at the situation as they get into the winter and spring seasons, she said. The disease can change very quickly, she added.

The Kansas State High School Activities Association executive board voted July 28 not to postpone fall activities. Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said on Aug. 6 that this was not likely to be successful. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Aug. 6 was monitoring 63 COVID-19 cases linked to sports.

Health Department officials noted in the news release that there were other outbreaks around the state and nation of COVID-19 linked to sports activities. These included

• On July 3 the University of Kansas suspended voluntary workouts because of a spike in COVID-19 cases in athletes returning to campus;
• On Aug. 5, the University of Louisville suspended all fall sports after 29 athletes tested positive for COVID-19;
• In late July, the Miami Marlins announced an outbreak involving 18 players, causing several games to be suspended and team members to be quarantined in a hotel in Philadelphia.
• As of Aug. 11, the St. Louis Cardinals had 10 players and seven staff members test positive for COVID-19, causing a two-week suspension in their games and major disruption to the shortened Major League Baseball season.
• During the week of Aug. 9, both the Big Ten and PAC-12 conferences postponed their college football seasons due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

The decision to restrict competitive contact sports in Wyandotte County is based both on the fact that COVID-19 remains a threat and the pragmatic understanding that many local organizations do not have the financial resources necessary to ensure the safety of children and adults, according to the Health Department.

The new health order states that a 45-person mass gathering limitation will apply to all activities and events subject to the order.

It also states that practice and conditioning in winter sports including boys and girls basketball and wrestling are limited to activities where 6 feet of social distancing can always be continuously maintained between individuals. The order also mandates frequent sanitizing and cleaning of surfaces and shared equipment.

Sports and activities that are allowed during the fall sports season include debate, speech, tennis, gymnastics, golf, cross country and other non-contact spirit activity, provided they adhere to the guidelines of the KSHSAA Activity Specific Risk Management Considerations manual, according to the health order.

The new health order says that masks are mandated whenever a 6-foot space cannot be maintained. Also, violation of the order carries a misdemeanor charge with a maximum fine of $500 and a 30-day jail sentence, according to the health order.

Details from the new local health order include:

• Competitions for football, volleyball, soccer and marching band are prohibited.
• Practice and conditioning activities in such sports may proceed in the event 6 feet social distancing can always be continuously maintained between individuals.
• Practice and conditioning in the winter sports of boys and girls basketball and wrestling are also limited to activities where 6 feet social distancing can always be continuously maintained between individuals.
• Sports or activities during the 2020 fall sports season such as debate, speech, tennis, gymnastics, golf, cross county, or other non-contact spirit activity are allowed provided they adhere to the guidelines in the KSHSAA Activity Specific Risk Management Considerations manual.
• Frequent sanitizing and cleaning of surfaces and shared equipment is required.
• Masks must always be worn by athletes and coaches indoors; and outdoors during practice or competition when 6-foot distance cannot be continuously maintained.
• All schools and non-professional sports organizations visiting Wyandotte County for competition must strictly adhere to all Wyandotte County local health officer orders.
• It is the responsibility of the host school or non-professional sports organization to inform the visiting team of this and all related local health officer orders.
• Non-participating individuals attending indoor practices or competitions must adhere to social distance practices and mask wearing mandates for indoor functions.
• Non-participating individuals attending outdoor practices and competitions must wear masks in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained.

AG opinion says school boards can have final say

The largest school districts in Wyandotte County have already made their decisions to either lead or follow the health department’s order on limiting fall sports, so a new opinion from the state attorney general could be a moot point for most students in Wyandotte County.

The Kansas attorney general on Aug. 11 issued an opinion that says school boards can make their own final decisions about whether or not to have sports, and also about whether or not to wear masks and implement other health orders.

According to the attorney general’s opinion, county commissions have authority over the health orders in their counties, while school boards have the authority over the health measures at their schools.

Friesen said they will need to look at the opinion and consult with their legal department and colleagues before making any comments about the attorney general’s opinion.

An AG opinion is considered to be stronger than an individual attorney’s opinion, but not as strong as a court ruling.

Doctors point out the changing nature of information about COVID-19

During a news conference on Thursday morning, doctors at the University of Kansas Health System pointed out that information about COVID-19 is constantly changing. That includes information about youth, athletes, sports and COVID-19.

Earlier, experts thought that youth were not very susceptible to COVID-19, but hospitals have been seeing some young patients admitted for it, according to the doctors. While the numbers may be fewer than adults, there are still some cases involving children.

Dr. Tim Beaver, sports cardiologist, said Thursday morning at the KU Health System news conference that a condition called myocarditis, inflammation of the heart, has developed in some patients after they have contracted COVID-19.

Doctors can’t really tell athletes at this time how safe it is to resume sports after they have contracted COVID-19, according to Dr. Beaver. There are studies being conducted currently that may answer some of the questions about it later, he said.

Myocarditis and other effects of COVID-19 have been one of the reasons that colleges and the pros are conducting periodic COVID-19 testing on athletes.

The doctors today said they don’t have all the information now to tell athletes when it will be safe to return to their sport. They also said since some COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic, athletes may not know that they’ve had it and may not know if they have developed myocarditis.

Some of the professional teams have enough funding to monitor the health of their athletes closely, which is not always possible for amateur teams and high school teams.

It’s becoming necessary for doctors to help athletes look at the risk and benefits of playing sports in these times, according to the doctors. If athletes have already had COVID-19, some of the doctors would recommend that they sit out this season.

The doctors also discussed confusion that some post-COVID-19 patients have, and also concussions.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the KU Health System, said there were emerging therapies being developed every day, and the pandemic probably won’t be long-term. It sometimes takes time for the body to recuperate fully, he added.

The new health order concerning sports in Wyandotte County is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/08132020localhealthofficerorderregardingsports.pdf.

Everyday routines changed for Dr. Chris Brown when COVID-19 hit the Kansas City area.

Dr. Brown is a hospitalist at the University of Kansas Health System who has cared for many COVID-19 patients in the hospital. He described his experiences during a news conference Wednesday afternoon at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

A doctor at KU Health System about five years, Dr. Brown said when COVID-19 first hit the Kansas City area in February and March, he worked about four weeks straight, seeing about 80 to 90 patients.

Everything changed, he said. While it was standard to clean hands when seeing patients before COVID-19 hit, it became much more difficult afterward, having to put on a gown, gloves, mask and shield each time they entered a patient room, then having to prepare again for the next patient.

After his seven-day shifts seeing COVID-19 patients, it definitely took a toll, emotionally, physically and in the mind, he said.

Before COVID-19, families could be with the patient and discuss the case with the doctor. After COVID-19, visitors weren’t allowed, and so doctors needed to get in touch with patients’ families by phone or technology.

The palliative care team got involved to help use technology and increase communication among the patient, family and health staff.

Dr. Brown said it became more difficult to work with families. In the past he didn’t have to talk with family members about their health, but with COVID-19, there were some patients’ family members at home with COVID-19 who had not met the criteria for testing, he said. He had to take care of those patients, also, and in a few instances had to tell them to call 911 and go to the hospital.

Treatment for COVID-19 has changed since March. Some of the former ways of dealing with the disease have changed, and now they are using remdesivir, steroids, anticoagulation drugs and other therapies to help the patients, he said.

He has been able to learn from their infectious disease department and also from reading journal articles.

In February and March, they knew individuals more at risk were elderly and had other illnesses including heart and lung disease. It still holds true today, but they are also starting to see a lot more young patients who are sick and hospitalized, he said.

Recently the age difference was 19 to 99 among the hospital COVID-19 patients, he said. And today, there was an 18-year-old COVID-19 patient in the hospital.

People need to remember this disease does not really depend on age, he said.

Dr. Brown said there is a lot of support staff and ancillary staff provided by the hospital to help the health care workers.

He personally finds a way to spend an hour or 30 minutes for himself every day, he said. Many days, he gets up at 4:30 a.m. and goes for a run, he said. He meets colleagues and they encourage each other to find something productive to reduce their stress and the emotional toll that working the long hours can pose on them mentally and physically, he said.

Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said COVID-19 has really shown their vulnerabilities. There are still a lot of people without access to care and who delay everything to the last moment because they don’t want to have a lot of costs, he said.

Ethnic and racial disparities have shown themselves, and many low-income people do not have the opportunity to work from home, he said. Many of the low-income persons are exposed more to COVID-19. Dr. Norman said Medicaid expansion, which would provide insurance for more low-income persons, is something the state should do.

‘Not a legal question’

Dr. Norman also commented on the state attorney general’s recent opinion about local school boards having more authority on wearing masks than the health departments. It’s really a health question, he believes.

“I personally think those questions are not a legal question so much,” he said, adding he knows a legal question could be asked about it.

He said he would rather have the impact of public health guidance to guide school boards, and public health officers have provided that.

“If people have options not to wear masks because of the attorney general’s advice, I hope people still listen to guidance and do the things necessary to protect their own children,” Dr. Norman said.

Corrections cases increase

COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported at correctional facilities in Hutchinson and Sedgwick County, according to Dr. Norman. The cases have grown rapidly.

“What we’re doing is the right thing to do,” Dr. Norman said. It might have been better if they could have gotten in there a little sooner and if the facilities were newer.

The Hutchinson facility was built during the Abraham Lincoln era, he said, without airflow. They spent some time on Wednesday on strategies to cope with the outbreaks, he said.

They will make recommendations to move the inmates around so that COVID-19 patients will be confined to certain units, and those who don’t have COVID-19 will be confined to other units, he said.

According to a Kansas Department of Corrections news release, a lockdown was implemented at Hutchinson Correctional facility.

A total of 84 residents and 10 staff members at Hutchinson tested positive this week, according to KDOC. They have had 99 total residents and 17 staff who tested positive since COVID-19 began. The positive cases are asymptomatic, according to the news release.

All of the central unit Hutchinson residents will remain locked in their cells, according to the news release. They will be in cohorts. Some of the inmates will be moved to the medical unit at Lansing Correctional Facility.

A COVID-19 case also was reported Aug. 11 at Winfield Correctional Facility, and the inmate and three roommates are being moved to the Lansing Correctional Facility, according to a Kansas Department of Corrections news release.

Statewide, an increase of 816 new cases and eight new deaths were reported in Kansas from Monday to Wednesday, according to Dr. Norman.

Kansas reported 32,547 total cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with 395 deaths, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Wyandotte County reported 5,031 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday afternoon, an increase of 72 from Tuesday, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 website. There were 102 cumulative deaths, an increase of one since Tuesday.

Johnson County reported 6,120 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, an increase of 207 cases from Monday, according to KDHE figures.

Leavenworth County reported 1,532 cumulative cases on Wednesday, an increase of 19 cases since Monday, according to KDHE statistics.

The University of Kansas Health System reported 30 COVID-19 patients on Wednesday morning, down from 39 on Tuesday morning, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. There were 10 patients in the intensive care unit, down from 11 on Tuesday, and seven patients were on ventilators, down from eight on Tuesday. The number of inpatients was lower because of several discharges, according to doctors.

Optimism expressed about vaccine trials

Doctors at KU Health System were optimistic on Wednesday morning about upcoming vaccine trials. They discussed it at a video news conference at the KU Health System.

The vaccine trial at KU is a week or two away from being delivered, and it will begin soon after delivery, according to Dr. Mario Castro, vice chair for clinical and translational research and pulmonologist at KU School of Medicine. He is the co-principal investigator in the trial.

Dr. Castro said he is hopeful about the effectiveness of the vaccine, after a recent study in Lancet.

About 1,250 of the 30,000 people participating in the nationwide trial will be at the KU Medical Center, he said. Two out of three participants will get the vaccine, while one-third gets a placebo, Study participants will get a booster 28 days after the first vaccine.

To participate in the trial, interested persons may contact Shelby Almo at KU Medical Center, at [email protected] or go online to coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org, and specify KUMC as the location.

Those who are quarantined or have bene working at home probably won’t qualify for the study, according to Dr. Castro.

He said that even though everyone has had to alter their lives because of the virus, this study gives him hope for a return to normal.

Dr. Barbara Pahud, research director of pediatrics infectious diseases at Children’s Mercy Hospital, said she believes the vaccine that is being tested at KU and at Children’s Mercy is very safe for humans. She described how the vaccine worked.

Russia announced on Tuesday that it was not doing a clinical trial on its vaccine, and Dr. Pahud was very skeptical of the announcement. That’s a risky action, according to Dr. Pahud, because all the data on safety and effectiveness is not in yet, and also, skipping the trials affects public health trust.

Health institutions such as KU Health System, along with others through the nation, are moving fast on their vaccine because they know from experience how to do it without compromising safety, she said.

Free testing offered

Free COVID-19 testing is planned from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Quindaro Community Center, 2726 Brown Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, through Swope Health.

Another free COVID-19 testing location will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13 at Vibrant Health, Argentine location, 1428 S. 32nd St., Kansas City, Kansas.

The pop-up tests are offered through Swope Health, Vibrant Health and the Health Equity Task Force.

Free testing also is offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, call 311.

For more information on who may be tested and what to bring, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19

The KDHE news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/KDHEnews/videos/637120493592839.

The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/302997367678535

The Wyandotte County school start order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.

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

Hospitalizations increasing

Wyandotte County reported its 101st cumulative COVID-19 death on Tuesday, and Mayor David Alvey urged residents to continue complying with the mask mandate.

The county has made progress since the mask-wearing mandate went into effect in Wyandotte County on June 30. Unified Government Health Department charts show that after a spike on July 16, around two weeks after the Fourth of July, the seven-day average rolling rate of cases has been declining here.

Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients at the University of Kansas Health System are increasing, doctors reported.

Mayor Alvey said at a news conference Tuesday sponsored by the University of Kansas Health System that health officials have mentioned that those places without a mask order saw an increase in cases, while in those areas where masks were required of everyone, there was a 25 percent decrease in transmission.

There are still some people not complying with the mask order, and some are continuing to gather in large groups where the transmission risk is higher, Mayor Alvey said.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said it was remarkable that the mask order here has already had the effect it has had.

“There is absolutely no question about the importance of mask wearing, and anyone who thinks it is not is just deluding themselves,” Dr. Stites said. Masks have protected patients in hospitals for generations, and it keeps patients safe, he said. It’s no different around COVID-19, he added.

In Wyandotte County, cases are now around 43 a day, Mayor Alvey said. That’s down from the first spike. The numbers spiked again when people began to think it was over. Since the mask order the numbers have been declining, according to the 7-day rolling average chart.

“We still have some places where people don’t understand the necessity of the mask and where it’s an act of kindness to others, especially to those closest to you,” Mayor Alvey said.

Those who don’t wear masks are playing Russian roulette with their health and their family’s health, he added. He sometimes asks people who don’t wear masks, who among their friends and relatives they would be willing to part with?

The less people do the simple measures, such as wearing a mask and distancing, the more they have to do the drastic measures, such as medical intervention, he said.

The mayor and the doctors said COVID-19 had a very real negative impact on the economy, including on the businesses, local governments and hospitals.

The KU Health System reported 39 COVID-19 patients on Tuesday morning, including 11 in the intensive care unit and eight on the ventilator, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control.

On Monday the total was 31, and last week there were 23, he said. There is an 18-year-old COVID-19 patient in the hospital, he said. Those in the ICU range from age 30 to 86, and on the ventilator, 30 to 72, Dr. Hawkinson said.

Wyandotte County reported its 101st COVID-19 related death on Tuesday, Aug. 11, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. It was an increase of two since Monday. Wyandotte County also reported 44 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday afternoon, with a cumulative total of 4,959.

The 7-day rolling average of COVID-19 related deaths is currently very low in Wyandotte County, according to a chart on the UG COVID-19 website.

Dr. Stites said people can stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing hands, and socially distancing.

“We can stop it in its tracks,” he said, “before it stops you.”

Free testing offered

Free COVID-19 testing is planned from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Zotung Christian Church, 5010 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.

The pop-up test is offered through Vibrant Health and the Health Equity Task Force.

Free testing also is offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, call 311.

The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/3680520225309926.

For more information on who may be tested and what to bring, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.

The Wyandotte County school start order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.

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