It’s up to communities to fix the problem of high numbers of COVID-19 cases, said Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health and environment.
Dr. Norman made his remarks at a virtual news conference Tuesday sponsored by the University of Kansas Health System. The case numbers have gone up recently in the state and in the Greater Kansas City area.
“Public health cannot fix this,” Dr. Norman said. “This is what the communities have to fix. Schools will not be a safe island in an unsafe community. If you’ve got a community with bars open, people not wearing masks, mass gatherings, rodeos, county fairs, then schools will not be safe.”
People can point fingers at schools, doctors or hospitals, but that is misplaced, he said. They have got to look in their own communities, and if they see one person without a mask on, the community is failing, he said.
“There is no safe island for children in an unsafe community,” he said.
People need to work with their county health officials and fix things, he said.
“We can fix this by Sept. 10,” he said. There are at least two incubation periods, during which the case numbers can be flattened.
“Look inwardly people,” Dr. Norman said, “Fix your communities and your schools will follow as a safe haven, but not until then.”
Mitigating measures such as wearing masks, social distancing and hand washing work in hospitals and they will work in schools, Dr. Norman agreed. The community spreading of the virus will drive the safety of the schools, he added.
Dr. Norman also suggested looking at innovative methods for classrooms, not 30 children and one teacher in a classroom, but possibly staggered scheduling, with hand hygiene, masks and physical distancing. He said physical distance between students is very important. It’s also important that people who are sick stay home.
Meetings with the state Department of Education are ongoing, Dr. Norman said, with one scheduled on Wednesday.
Working toward in-person classes is desired in a community where there is a declining number of cases, he said.
Dr. Norman expanded on his remarks about bars, saying there were 150 to 200 COVID-19 cases related to three bars in Lawrence, and upwards of 100 cases related to bars in Manhattan, Kansas.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the KU Health System, said the hospital reopened and did not have COVID-19 spread, and also, clinics reopened without spread. If schools can follow the rules of infection control and have effective personal protective equipment, they can stay safe.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 49 cases on Tuesday, for a cumulative total of 3,750. There were 89 deaths, unchanged since Monday.
Number of patients in ICU increases
KU Health System reported 36 COVID-19 inpatients on Tuesday, the same as Monday. There were a few discharged and a few admissions, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System. Sixteen patients were in the intensive care unit, up from 10 on Monday, and six were on ventilators, the same as Monday, he said. He was concerned about the increase in patients in the ICU.
Dr. Hawkinson also said it was important for parents to get regular immunizations for their children, and to get a flu shot, also, when they are available.
Testing available
A free pop-up test for COVID-19 is available from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 22, at Zotung Christian Church, 5010 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
The pop-up tests are through the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force.
Free testing is also being conducted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays at the Health Department, 6th and Ann, in the parking lot in Kansas City, Kansas, weather permitting.
Tests are for those who live and work in Wyandotte County, and who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19 cases. For more information, call 311 or visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
The governor’s Executive Order 20-59, on wearing masks and other mitigation procedures in schools, is online at https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EO-20-59-PDF.pdf.
To see the KU doctors’ news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/286830505983326.
For information on the amended Wyandotte County mask order, visit https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/07142020MaskOrderAmendments.pdf and https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/07142020LocalHealthOfficerOrderMaskAmendments.pdf.
The governor’s executive order on masks is at https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20200702093130003.pdf.
The governor’s news release on the mask order is at https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-laura-kelly-signs-executive-order-mandating-masks-in-public-spaces/.
The Wyandotte County mask order is at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/06272020LocalHealthOfficerOrderRegardingMasks.pdf.
For information on how to make an easy no-sew mask, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/how-to-make-a-no-sew-cloth-mask/.
For more information about COVID-19 testing, including other sites, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. Residents also may call 3-1-1 for more information about testing.
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.
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.