There are ways to connect with families and friends and still stay safe over the holidays, according to Joan Wells, founder of Wellington, an organization that helps to develop relationships in social gatherings.
Wells said usually at this time of year, it’s important to connect at family holiday gatherings and corporate holiday gatherings, but that isn’t possible this year.
There’s a need for people to take time and plan alternative events with family and friends, she said, taking time to design these events.
Sometimes, Zoom calls can be awkward, but people can take time to create unique and fun experiences, she said.
That could mean giving everyone a role in the conversation, or being prepared with digital question cards to ask meaningful questions, she said.
Also virtual meetings can break into smaller groups to have more meaningful conversations, she said.
“You start with really analyzing what is special about this live experience normally,” she said.
Is it that they will encounter and meet new people, or experience amazing entertainment or is it a group competition, she asked. That can be translated into a virtual event.
It also is possible to do virtual networking, as in a cocktail event, she said, by popping in and out of chatrooms to have conversations, she said. She designed that sort of virtual event for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. It was important to them to assure that their guests were connected to each other, she said.
Also, her company did a virtual event for a Fortune 500 company this year. Usually it’s an in-person event, but this year it was a virtual event that gave people the power of choice, she said. They created a website where 80,000 employees chose one of 50 gifts, letting them know that they were important to the company and they were heard, she said.
“There’s lots of lessons from COVID, and one of them is that companies and people have had the ability to innovate and adapt and really dig deep and form deeper connections and bonds that will be lasting,” Wells said.
Wellington is online at wellingtonexperience.com.
The University of Kansas Health System reported 73 active COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Wednesday morning, down three from Tuesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. There were 28 patients in the intensive care unit, the same number as Tuesday, and 20 were on ventilators, the same as Tuesday. Another 66 patients were in the hospital because of COVID-19 but were out of the acute infection phase, an increase of 11 from Tuesday. There were 139 total COVID-19 patients, a slight decrease from 141 on Tuesday.
HaysMed in Hays, Kansas, reported 23 COVID-19 inpatients, a decrease of four from Tuesday, with 18 active patients and five in the recovery phase.
The numbers of COVID-19 cases in the community are not currently as high as was feared after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said the next few weeks will be critical. There is already a higher prevalence of COVID-19 in the community now than there was before Thanksgiving, he said.
The chance of COVID-19 spreading at Christmas time grows as families gather together for the holidays, he said.
That is why it is important for people to wear masks, socially distance, wash their hands, cough into their elbow and don’t go out if they’re sick, Dr. Stites said.
Case numbers rose Wednesday
Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 13,892 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, an increase of 423 cases since Tuesday, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There was one additional death reported, for a cumulative 191.
Kansas reported an increase of 5,080 COVID-19 cases from Monday to Wednesday, for a cumulative total of 209,689, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment figures. There were an additional 59 deaths reported statewide, for a cumulative total of 2,507.
Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Wednesday reported 18,458,373 cases in the United States, with 326,124 deaths. It was an increase of 239,907 cases and 3,448 deaths since Tuesday nationwide.
Free COVID-19 testing available 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday
The Unified Government Health Department has moved its COVID-19 testing from the 6th and Ann location to the former Kmart at 78th and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. The hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. There are holiday hours this week. They are open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The test site is open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 24, and closed Dec. 25.
Tests are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. The tests are nasopharyngeal swab tests. The Health Department no longer uses saliva tests.
The tests now are open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
Also, free COVID-19 testing is scheduled to be available at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 26, at Pierson Community Center, 1800 S. 55th St., Kansas City, Kansas. The site is operated by WellHealth, and those interested in a test may visit www.GoGetTested.com/kansas to schedule a COVID-19 test.
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.
For more test sites, also see https://www.gogettested.com/kansas.
For more information about the testing site at the former Kmart location, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/10092020_newtestingsitewyco.pdf.
The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/139016654515447.
To see information about the UG giving vaccines to health care workers, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-to-start-giving-covid-19-vaccines-to-health-department-and-ems-personnel-next-week/.
The KDHE vaccine report is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1677/Vaccine-Update-12-16-20.
Cards and letters of encouragement for caregivers at KU Health System may be sent to Share Joy, care of Patient Relations, 4000 Cambridge St., Mailstop 1021, Kansas City, Kansas, 66160. Emails can be sent to [email protected].
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask and social distancing order. Also, the Wyandotte County health order with a limit of 10 persons to a gathering, and a closing time of 10 p.m. for restaurants and bars, with other new restrictions, is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/11162020localhealthorderexecuted.pdf.
The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
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 CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.