Category: Health

Kansas reported an increase of 213 COVID-19 cases today, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

In all, the state had 5,458 total cases, according to KDHE.

Wyandotte County reported four more deaths, for a total of 64, and 16 new cases, for a total of 893, at 1:40 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Unified Government Health Department webpage. Hospitalizations went from 34 on Monday to 40 on Tuesday.

There was an increase of 12 recoveries in Wyandotte County on Tuesday, from 168 to 180.

The UG COVID-19 website hub reported that there were four more deaths from the Riverbend Post-Acute Rehabilitation facility in Kansas City, Kansas, bringing the total to 36.

Riverbend has a total of 132 positive cases, including 105 residents and 27 employees, according to the UG Health Department. Three residents are currently hospitalized.

The University of Kansas Health System reported a slight decrease in Tuesday’s numbers of COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized from 31 on Monday to 30 on Tuesday. There were 14 patients in the intensive care unit, a decrease of one from Monday.

Wyandotte County testing delayed by rain

Testing at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann was postponed on Monday because of rain and thunderstorms, according to a Health Department social media post.

Several pop-up testing sites are being added. To see the schedule for COVID-19 tests in Wyandotte County, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR1rglc9COHzY9u6aR_F4_PhZAA0TPkwp8FJKwatMQMEnEOLMDm7HdWz3zo.

Mother’s Day plans

Wyandotte, Johnson and Jackson counties are under stay-at-home orders during Mother’s Day weekend, May 9-10, and individuals are supposed to stay in their household groups, according to the Wyandotte County reopening plan.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said in discussing whether families should get together for Mother’s Day, May 10, if they are not already living in the same household, they should consider who is now in their circle. If people have been regularly visiting with or meeting with their moms throughout this time, it would probably be OK to go to visit them on Mother’s Day, while if they have not seen them for a few months, it could introduce COVID-19 into their family.

The doctors also discussed other topics, such as going swimming. According to the stay-at-home rules in Wyandotte County, groups from different households are not supposed to meet together.

When discussing whether it was safe to swim in a swimming pool, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said he didn’t fear a droplet of the coronavirus getting into the swimming pool, with chemicals and chlorine in it, and causing an infection.

He said the danger from swimming pools, restaurants and bars is that people may congregate around that area, too close together. While adults generally can maintain a distance of six to eight feet, some children may find it harder.

In the next phase, the “red zone” possibly beginning May 11, the Wyandotte County reopening plan stated that residents should not congregate with others who are not members of their immediate household, and exercise had to be distanced with 10 or fewer persons.

“Just because we’re opening society up, does not make it safe to be in big groups,” Dr. Stites said.

The doctors said as society reopens, it will still be important to practice good hygiene, wash hands, stay six feet away from others, cough into your sleeve, don’t touch your face, don’t go out when you’re sick, and clean off frequently touched surfaces.

Third state inmate death reported

The third COVID-19 related death was reported Monday, May 4, of a resident of the Lansing Correctional Facility.

According to a news release from the Kansas Department of Corrections, the resident who died was a male over 50 who tested positive for the virus on May 1. He was transferred to Providence Medical Center on May 1.

KDOC lists the official cause of death for all COVID-19 deaths as natural causes.

The individual was serving an 85-month sentence for charges including aggravated indecent liberties with a child, lewd fondling or touching; child less than 14. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections since July 2018. For the privacy of his family and due to confidentiality laws, the KDOC will not release his name nor his underlying medical conditions, the news release stated. His family has been notified.

State case counts in other counties

On Tuesday, according to the KDHE, Leavenworth County reported a total of 602 cases, an increase of 73 cases from Monday. Johnson County reported 513 total cases, an increase of nine cases from Monday, according to the KDHE.

Eighty-two counties reported positive cases on Tuesday, according to KDHE, and some of them included: Ford County (Dodge City area), 869; Seward County (Liberal area), 606; Finney County (Garden City area), 518; Sedgwick County (Wichita area), 411; Lyon County (Emporia area), 265; and Shawnee County (Topeka area), 133.

Douglas County (Lawrence area) reported 51 cases, and Riley County (Manhattan area) reported 55 cases, according to the KDHE.

To see the KU doctors’ news conference, with more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/853144635186197/.

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

The Wyandotte County reopening plan, a 41-page document, was posted Thursday night at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/RestartWYCOGuidanceDocument043020.pdf

The Kansas COVID-19 website is at https://covid.ks.gov/.

The Kansas COVID-19 resource page is at https://govstatus.egov.com/coronavirus

Information from the CDC is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/.

Some of the metro area is reopening this week and some of it is not. Wyandotte County is among the communities not opening before May 11, and when it does reopen, it will be a gradually phased-in reopening, according to officials.

COVID-19 cases, meanwhile, continued to increase in Wyandotte County on Monday.

Positive COVID-19 cases saw an increase on Monday and over the weekend in Wyandotte County and also at the University of Kansas Health System, according to doctors at a KU Health System news conference on Monday morning.

Three were 877 positive COVID-19 cases in Wyandotte County as of 1:45 p.m. May 4, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. It was an increase of 53 cases since Sunday afternoon. Wyandotte County COVID-19 deaths totaled 60, an increase of five since Sunday.

Cases increased 53 on Saturday and 62 on Sunday in Wyandotte County. The county has stepped up testing in the last week.

Kansas reported 5,245 positive COVID-19 cases with 136 deaths on Monday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment website. It was an increase of 215 cases and two deaths statewide since Sunday.

The University of Kansas Health System reported 31 COVID-19 patients on Monday morning, an increase of around 10 from last week, when numbers were in the 20s, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System. He said there were 15 COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit and five on ventilators. Dr. Hawkinson said it was possible that some patients had transferred in from other counties. He said there could be mini-waves or small fluctuations based on hotspots in the area.

Wyandotte County and Johnson County remain under a stay-at-home order through May 10, while some other parts of the metropolitan area are opening earlier. If the Wyandotte County health officer sees progress in fighting COVID-19, Wyandotte County could then move into the first phase, the “red zone,” a limited reopening, on May 11. The stay-at-home order could be extended if health officials do not see progress.

Wyandotte, Johnson and Jackson counties all have a possible May 11 reopening date, while Kansas City, Missouri has a reopening date of May 15, with a soft opening of certain businesses that do not have public customers on May 6. Some other counties in the metropolitan area are starting to reopen today.

Advice on reopening offered to businesses

As parts of the Greater Kansas City area are starting to reopen this week, area businesses are being offered advice from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

Joe Reardon, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce president, said at the news conference today that when going back to work, businesses want to do it safely, be smart and protect their workers and visitors.

The GKC Chamber has been working on a strategy on how to safely return to work, and came out with a 20-page document last week, “Safe Return KC Guide,” giving guidelines about steps to think about and to take, he said.

He said there are two lanes for businesses to consider, one involves government regulations, and the other is what you need to think about in your own workplace that needs to be done.

“That’s truly where our guidance comes in, not on the government side,” Reardon said.

The GKC Chamber’s guide will help people in business think about what they need to do to be safe, he said.

In answer to a question, Reardon said there will be substantial financial impact on the Greater Kansas City economy from COVID-19, but no one knows the full extent of it yet.

“You certainly are going to see an economy that has been damaged by this,” he said. “The big question is what does recovery look like, how quickly will recovery come.”

COVID-19 will be here for a long time, and it will be a new normal, he said. They will all have to figure it out to have the economy grow in the right direction, he added.

“We’re a pretty diversified economy, relative to other regions,” he said. “The hit to the economy won’t be as extreme as some other places, and our recovery will be a little more steady, probably not as extreme the other way.”

Reardon recommended that businesses with employees successfully working from home should try to continue that practice for now.

When the GKC Chamber released its guide last week, it also opened a help desk at [email protected], he said. The guide is online at https://www.kcchamber.com/sites/default/files/2020-04/SafeReturn-GUIDE.pdf.

Sometimes the GKC Chamber’s help desk will have an answer for questions, and other times the GKC Chamber will reach out and refer businesses to a source with the answers, he said.

The GKC Chamber is trying to help businesses through the transition of reopening.

“Business has changed, and you’re not going to go back to normal operations, as least for the foreseeable future,” Reardon said.

KU Health System preparing for a return of patients

The KU Health System, preparing for more patients, has remained open the entire time in a safe and thoughtful way, according to Tammy Peterman, president of the Kansas City Division of KU Health System.

They have focused on reducing harm every day for the last several years, she said. As they continue to see more patients, they will do so in a safe way, she said.

Bob Page, president and CEO of the KU Health System, said the hospital has been seeing around 500 patients a day, compared to a maximum number of 800 to 900. Doctors said they are seeing about about 4,200 outpatients currently in telehealth and patient visits, when a normal day is about 5,000.

Page said there have been stories about patients not seeking care for strokes and heart attacks, and patients should not forgo necessary health care.

Peterman urged patients to call their providers and work with them. Health care may look a little different and feel different with some new safety procedures in place.

Dr. Hawkinson said that as society starts to reopen, it will be more of the individual’s responsibility to stay home when they are sick, wash hands frequently, use hand sanitizer, don’t touch your face, cough into your elbow, only go out if it’s essential and stay six feet apart.

Other counties’ COVID-19 totals

On Monday, according to the KDHE, Leavenworth County reported a total of 529 cases, an increase of 31 cases from Sunday. Johnson County reported 504 total cases, an increase of six cases from Sunday, according to the KDHE.

Eighty-two counties reported positive cases on Monday, according to KDHE, and some of them included: Ford County (Dodge City area), 832; Seward County (Liberal area), 580; Finney County (Garden City area), 498; Sedgwick County (Wichita area), 409; Lyon County (Emporia area), 255; and Shawnee County (Topeka area), 128.

Douglas County (Lawrence area) reported 51 cases, and Riley County (Manhattan area) reported 55 cases, according to the KDHE.

To view the KU Health System news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/3566855046682531/?v=3566855046682531

To view the GKC Chamber’s Safe Return KC guide, visit https://www.kcchamber.com/sites/default/files/2020-04/SafeReturn-GUIDE.pdf

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

The Wyandotte County reopening plan, a 41-page document, was posted Thursday night at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/RestartWYCOGuidanceDocument043020.pdf

The Kansas COVID-19 website is at https://covid.ks.gov/.

The Kansas COVID-19 resource page is at https://govstatus.egov.com/coronavirus

Information from the CDC is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/.