Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday afternoon said she was very concerned at the way COVID-19 case numbers continue to grow.
The governor said last week, there was an increase of 23 deaths in Kansas from Wednesday to Friday, the largest jump since the state began reporting cases on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday, she said.
There also was an increase in the state’s positivity case rate, the governor said. The trends will continue if people are not diligent about COVID-19 mitigation strategies every day, she added.
Gov. Kelly said at the news conference on Monday that it is important to recognize how many people COVID-19 is harming, and that many people are mourning the loss of loved ones. The number of Kansas residents who have been infected, around 47,000, is about the same as the city of Salina’s population, she said. If the number of statewide deaths, 485, were concentrated in one area, she said, the entire city of Argonia would be gone.
As people return to schools this week, with sports practices resuming and college students coming back to school, she said she fears they will continue to see large outbreaks. That’s why she announced last week the state would begin sharing outbreak locations, she said.
By sharing locations, Kansans will be better informed about their communities, she said. Starting Wednesday, Sept. 9, the state will include locations of five or more active cases. For private businesses, the locations of 20 or more cases will be given.
Wyandotte County’s Health Department has already been sharing the locations of outbreaks of five or more cases here, since the start of the pandemic. That information can be found on a map under “Outbreak Locations” on the UG’s COVID-19 web site at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/. Viewers may click on a dot on the map to see the location name, address and number of cases.
“We must continue to be diligent, wear a mask, socially distance and wash your hands,” Gov. Kelly said.
The governor also said she would renew the state of emergency for Kansas when it expires next week.
The governor also recognized all front-line workers during the pandemic on Monday, Labor Day.
She also said that with school starting this week, her administration is behind teachers and students every step of the way. “Regardless of politics, I will fight to put your health and the health of students first,” she said.
Kansas reported 46,914 cases from 105 counties on Monday, Sept. 7, according to Gov. Kelly. It was an increase of 1,694 cases since Friday, according to Gov. Kelly. The state reported 485 total cumulative deaths, an increase of four deaths since Friday, she reported.
Wyandotte County reported 20 additional COVID-19 cases on Monday, Sept. 7, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 website. There were a cumulative 6,167 cases. There also was one additional death reported, for a total of 118 cumulative deaths.
According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment statistics, Johnson County had 9,047 COVID-19 cases on Monday, compared to 8,695 cases on Friday.
Other counties’ totals, according to KDHE, included Sedgwick County, 7,714; Ford County, 2,423; Finney County, 1,827; Leavenworth County, 1,781; Douglas County, 1,600; Shawnee County, 2,387; Seward County, 1,327; Riley County, 1,045; Lyon County, 889; Reno County, 864; Crawford County, 800; Butler County, 686; Ellis County, 641; Saline County, 516.
Testing to resume Tuesday
The UG Health Department will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7, for Labor Day, and testing will be closed Monday. Testing will resume from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Health Department parking lot, 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas.
There will be pop-up testing from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, at All Saints parish, 811 Vermont, Kansas City, Kansas. The pop-up testing is through the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force and Vibrant Health.
Information about testing is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
Gov. Kelly’s news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/734387933777544.
The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The Unified Government Health Department is collecting input on people’s experiences getting tested for COVID-19 in Wyandotte County. The survey is on the UG website at https://us.openforms.com/Form/ea97a450-3d74-4d86-8d1f-6e340d55cf7c.
The UG Health Department new school and sports guidance is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/09042020fallsportsrecommendations.pdf.
A previous UG sports order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/08132020localhealthofficerorderregardingsports.pdf.
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 KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.