Category: Health

Positive COVID-19 cases increase in Wyandotte County

Wyandotte County had 1,977 total cumulative positive COVID-19 cases at 4 p.m. Wednesday, as compared to 1,899 cases as of 1 p.m. Tuesday. It was an increase of 78 cases. The number of total deaths, 78, was the same as Tuesday. (From UG COVID-19 website)
A 7-day rolling average of positive cases in Wyandotte County was shown in this chart. (From UG COVID-19 website)
This chart showed statewide COVID-19 cases by the date of symptom onset. (KDHE chart)

Positive COVID-19 cases increased on Wednesday in Wyandotte County, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 website.

The website reported 1,977 total cumulative positive COVID-19 cases at 4 p.m. Wednesday, as compared to 1,899 cases as of 1 p.m. Tuesday. The number of total deaths, 78, was the same as Tuesday.

According to the UG Health Department, the percentage of people who tested positive is 15.3 percent. In all, there were 12,825 people tested in Wyandotte County.

The state of Kansas reported 12,970 cases on Wednesday, with 261 deaths, according to information from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. It was an increase of 505 cases, with an increase of three deaths. Ninety-four counties have reported positive cases, an increase of two counties since Monday.

Wyandotte County is in Phase 3 of the state’s Ad Astra Plan, with the local Health Department offering guidelines to complement the state’s plan.

On Monday, the UG Health Department, with local educators, announced education reopening guidelines for Wyandotte County.

The Health Department also developed a long-term care reopening plan for Wyandotte County, with guidelines for facilities, according to a spokesman. To reopen, facilties must submit a plan to the Health Department for approval.

According to a spokesman, the Health Department soon will offer guidelines for churches to keep people as safe as possible.

Also, the Health Department spokesman stated that the WIC program’s remote services have been extended through July 31. The USDA has approved waiver extensions, including a physical presence waiver, allowing all WIC services to be provided by phone. The services are available for new and existing clients at 913-573-6720.

KU doctors discuss need to continue health practices

According to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Kansas Health System, the number of COVID-19 patients at KU Health System on Wednesday morning was 23, down one from Tuesday. There were seven in the intensive care unit and six on ventilators. There were several discharges and admissions on Tuesday, according to Dr. Hawkinson. The hospital has had 19 to 22 COVID-19 patients for about 10 days, and before that, it was nine to 10. At its height, the hospital had numbers in the 40s.

Dr. Hawkinson said everyone is susceptible to this virus. He said everyone needs to continue to observe health measures. The precautions include hand-washing, wearing masks, staying 6 feet away from others, staying home when they are sick and not touching their faces.

He said that the positivity percentage rate has increased from where it was two to three months ago, and that means COVID-19 is spreading. National experts have said they are seeing a surge, probably from Memorial Day gatherings. Dr. Hawkinson said people tend to seek treatment seven to 10 days after symptoms start. An inflammatory response to the virus could occur later.

KU Health System is the host of a Community Blood Center Blood Drive from Wednesday through Friday. According to CBC officials, they are under a three-day blood supply and urgently need donations. Usually there is a seven-day blood supply. Many procedures are in place to make donations safe, and donors and health care workers will be wearing masks.

The blood drive is from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for those three days in the Health Education Building. For more information on blood donations, see esavealifenow.org.

Pop-up testing sites planned

Several pop-up testing sites in Wyandotte County are sponsored by the Health Equity Task Force, according to the UG Health Department. There is no charge for tests. The sites include:

  • Thursday, June 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Quindaro Community Center, 2726 Brown Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
  • Thursday, June 25, from 2 a.m. to 5 p.m., Whitmore Park, 1412 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kansas.
  • Monday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
  • Tuesday, June 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

For more information, visit wycokck.org/COVID-19 or call 3-1-1.

During July, working with partners, there will be some testing events for people experiencing homelessness, the Health Department stated.

According to a Health Department spokesman, the task force has formed a subcommittee to focus on COVID-19 related research.

Also, according to a Health Department spokesman, contact tracers are being hired for a 12-month period. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in a related field and live in Wyandotte County.

To see the KU doctors’ news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/569833023961117/

COVID-19 test sites in Wyandotte County are listed at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19


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.

The UG’s COVID-19 information page is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-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.

Graphic from UG Health Department
Graphic from UG Health Department

Kansas COVID-19 cases rising faster

Wyandotte County at 1 p.m. Tuesday reported 1,899 total cumulative positive COVID-19 cases. It was an increase of 23 cases since 1 p.m. Monday. Hospitalizations were up in Wyandotte County. The number of deaths was the same as Monday. (UG COVID-19 website)

Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas health secretary, said COVID-19 cases are increasing in a more accelerated rate.

“We’re on a bit of a banana peel,” Dr. Norman said during a news conference Tuesday morning sponsored by the University of Kansas Health System.

The state’s case number is now over 12,000, with seven more deaths since Friday, he said..

The state has dealt with outbreaks in nursing homes, congregate living situations, work places and social gatherings, he said. A few cases have been seen from gatherings such as protests and party cove gatherings, according to Dr. Norman.

In Kansas, three small funerals have resulted in 40 to 50 positive COVID-19 cases and one death so far, Dr. Norman said.

“I just have a problem with gatherings,” he said. Nobody is protected in mass gatherings, he added. It’s one of the reasons the governor recommended on Monday that the state should stay in Phase 3 of the Ad Astra reopening plan.

Also, when there are less than 45 people in a gathering, people still need to social distance, he said.

The doctors at KU Health System have recommended avoiding large gatherings, and also have recommended both social distancing and wearing masks at gatherings.

Dr. Norman said it doesn’t make sense that mask-wearing has been politicized.

“Masks work, it’s not a new discovery,” he said. It’s been known for a long time, he added.

He said any time he can’t control his environment, such as when he steps outside of his office, he wears a mask.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said he has seen people inside restaurants not wearing masks.

He asked, if a person is going to have open heart surgery, would they want the surgeon to operate without a mask?

It shows the mindset, “I’m protecting me but I don’t care as much about you,” Dr. Norman said.

“COVID is not a hoax, mask wearing is not a crime. Taking care of your friends is the right thing to do,” Dr. Stites said.


Kansas this week added Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas and Maryland to the quarantine list. Anyone who travels there must quarantine when coming back to Kansas, currently.

Dr. Norman said it has been based on new data on case rate growth.

The states that are joining the list have per capita new case rates of three to five times greater than the rate in Kansas, he said. The states are put on the quarantine list in two-week increments. When the rate declines to below the Kansas rate, the KDHE will take those states off the list.

Dr. Norman also said the state is trying hard not to shut down education and business. The state is currently working on a plan to reopen schools safely.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has been working closely with the Kansas Department of Education, and the Department of Education will roll out recommendations after meeting with the school superintendents’ association, he said. It is the local school boards that will determine when school will open, he added. The state health department will provide guidance.

He said the state now has trained about 400 contact tracers to help with tracking COVID-19 cases. He said it will be helpful to have the contact tracers in place as school opens, and he thinks 400 will be enough. He doesn’t believe they need more than 400.

With more tests available, protective gear and contact tracing, the state is in pretty good shape for being able to respond better, he said. With significant increased testing, the state and local health departments can reach large numbers of people during outbreaks. People who have been exposed or who test positive can then be quarantined.

He said the state recently was able to assist at two large outbreaks, one in a county jail and the other at a plant in southeast Kansas. They were able to go in the same day, assess the situation, gather test samples and get test results back by the end of the next day, he said. Seven days later they can repeat the tests.

“I think our resiliency is much better than it was,” Dr. Norman said. “We’re very much loath to close anything down if we don’t have to.”

Dr. Norman said he thinks they’re still on an 18-to-24-month slide through this. Dr. Stites said he was more optimistic and would guess 12 months.

Dr. Stites said it’s his opinion that it’s not the health care offices that people should fear, it’s the bars. People are close together, yell and discharge droplets into the air at bars, Dr. Norman said.

That might be why COVID-19 has been affecting more 20-30 year-olds, and that age group has been increasing among patients at the hospital, Dr. Stites said.

The doctors said they believe there has been no significant difference in the virus itself, but the wearing of masks and other health measures such as hand-washing and social distancing have been working.

Dr. Stites said that while it is true that the older COVID-19 patients have been hit harder by the disease as a group, it is also true that patients in any age group can die. The risk goes down significantly in the younger patients, though.

Also at the news conference was Chelsey Smith, representing the Greater Kansas City Community Blood Center.

She said blood donations went up a little after she was on the program recently, but the blood supply is still low. It’s currently under a three-day supply, when they usually have a seven-day supply, she said.

She encouraged everyone to go to a blood center and donate blood now if they are healthy. The centers are safe, temperatures are being checked at the door, people are wearing masks and there is social distancing, she added.

The University of Kansas Health System will hold a blood drive from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Friday in the Health Education Building. For more information or to make an appointment to give blood, visit esavealifenow.com.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said KU Health System had 24 COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Tuesday morning. There were 21 patients on Monday. Seven were critically ill and six were on the ventilator.

“We are starting to see the numbers creep up a little bit,” he said, adding they don’t want that.

Wyandotte County at 1 p.m. Tuesday reported 1,899 total cumulative positive COVID-19 cases. It was an increase of 23 cases since 1 p.m. Monday. There were 78 total deaths, the same number as Monday. Hospitalizations went up to 29, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 website. There were 602 recoveries.

Mercy and Truth clinic at 721 N. 31st, Kansas City, Kansas, will be the site for the new KDHE mobile testing van on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a clinic spokesman. There will be free COVID-19 testing and also 200 free food boxes. Translators will be available in five languages.

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

COVID-19 test sites in Wyandotte County are listed at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19

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.


The UG’s COVID-19 information page is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-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.

Health Department, schools announce new guidelines for reopening schools in Wyandotte County

Today, school districts across Wyandotte County, in partnership with the Unified Government Public Health Department announced a new set of early childhood, K-12, and higher education reopening guidelines.

The school guidelines act as an addendum to ReStart WyCo Plan and a complement to the Kansas Ad Astra reopening plan, according to officials.

“We know the sooner we release guidance, the better – our schools need to start planning for the 2020-2021 school year now.” said Dr. Erin Corriveau, deputy medical officer with the UG Health Department. “A committee of educators from schools across our county and public health experts have collaborated to develop standards for each reopening phase. We are still fighting to curb the spread of COVID-19 in our community, and we could find ourselves at different reopening phases over the course of the school year. This additional guidance will help our schools keep their students, faculty, and staff as safe as possible, no matter what reopening phase we are in.”

According to a Health Department spokesman, there is no specific date listed for a fall reopening, as each of the districts may vary a little. There are charts online at wycokck.org/COVID-19 under “Resources” that describe what is required in the different phases. Wyandotte County is currently in Phase 3.

The Education ReStart WyCo Plan was developed in partnership with education and public health experts who represent:
• Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Unified School District (USD 204)
• Kansas City, Kansas Community College
• Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (USD 500)
• Kansas State School for the Blind
• Piper School District (USD 203)
• Turner Unified School District (USD 202)
• The Unified Government Public Health Department (UGPHD)
• University of Kansas Medical Center

“Our educators stressed the importance of getting students back in the classroom. The closing of schools this spring was necessary for public health, but it has taken a toll on the learning and the well-being of students,” said Dr. Greiner, chief medical officer with the UG Health Department. “We must work to strike a balance between protecting the immediate health of our community members by reducing the spread of COVID-19, while providing quality education, which we know has longer-term health impacts on individuals and our community as a whole.”

The state also has been working on educational guidelines, and had some limited guidelines earlier in the Ad Astra Plan. The Wyandotte County guidance is meant to be a supplement to it, according to the Health Department spokesman. The state will be publishing additional guidance for education at a later date. Locally, the Health Department has been hearing that local schools wanted guidance sooner than later, which has prompted the local guidance being issued today.

What is covered in the guidance

The Education ReStart WyCo Plan covers physical distancing standards for each reopening phase, from Stay At Home, to Phases 1-3, to Phase Out. It also includes information on meal preparation and service, hygiene, cleaning, personal protective equipment, and symptom screening.

Wyandotte County is currently in Phase 3 reopening until at least July 6. It is not known at this time what phase Wyandotte County will be in when the school year starts, health officials stated. For illustrative purposes, here are examples of the guidance for Wyandotte County early childhood care and education, K-12 schools, and higher education during Phase 3.

Early childhood care and education
• Children who live with vulnerable adults (have senior-aged or immune compromised guardian) should not be in child care if possible.
• Children should be cared for in rooms of 25 or fewer with the same caregiver each day (and grouped so the same children are in the same room each day).
• Staff and children aged 2 or older may wear face coverings, when feasible.

K-12 schools
• Parents and guardians may choose not to enter their child into school, and online or remote options should be offered when possible.
• Schools will reopen at regular capacity for student instruction and activities.
• Student athletic practices may resume based on KSHSAA guidelines.
• Grade level pods would operate as “schools within a school” including shared lunch time, shared recess time, and limited interaction between grade levels.
• Masks and face coverings are recommended for employees, visitors and students.

Higher education
• Most education will continue virtually. Hands-on learning will be offered with social distancing and possible need to alternate students.
• Workspaces and common areas will be adjusted to maintain 6-foot social distancing.
• Employees, students and visitors are encouraged to wear masks and face coverings at all times in public areas.

Face coverings strongly recommended; may be required

The Education ReStart WyCo Plan recommends masks or cloth face coverings whenever possible for anyone over the age of 2 at every level of education. The guidelines also acknowledge that the UG Health Department may require by order that face coverings be worn in education settings.

“Dr. Greiner and I are seriously considering issuing a public health order that would require face coverings be worn in all of our schools,” Dr. Corriveau said. “Data we are seeing from other countries shows an increased risk of the virus spreading in schools when masks aren’t worn. Some countries had to close schools again as a result. Wearing masks will give us a better chance of keeping schools open for longer.”

The education reopening guidance and additional information and resources on COVID-19 in Wyandotte County can be found at wycokck.org/COVID-19 or by calling 3-1-1.

  • Information from UG Health Department