Kansas has announced it has taken counties in Colorado off its travel quarantine list beginning June 3.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday added the countries of Chili, Colombia, Paraguay, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago to the quarantine list, according to a news release.
Those removed from the travel quarantine list, besides counties in Colorado, include the states of Maine and Minnesota. Also removed were the countries of Cabo Verde, Georgia, Lithuania, Netherlands and Sweden, effective June 3.
A comprehensive list of those individuals needing to quarantine includes visitors and Kansans who have:
• Traveled on or after June 3 to Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Suriname or Trinidad and Tobago.
• Traveled on or after May 20 to the countries of Costa Rica or French Guiana.
• Traveled on or after May 6 to the countries of India, Maldives or Seychelles.
• Traveled on or after April 22 to the countries of Argentina or Bahrain.
• Traveled on or after April 8 to the country of Uruguay.
• Traveled between May 20 and June 3 to the countries of Georgia, Lithuania or the Netherlands.
• Traveled between May 20 and June 3 to Maine or the Colorado counties of Alamosa, Baca, Costilla, Dolores, Mesa, Mineral, Otero, Prowers, Rio Grande, Saguache, Sedgwick or Yuma.
• Traveled between May 6 and June 3 to the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Conejos, Crowley, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Huerfano, Jefferson, Larimer or Pueblo.
• Traveled between May 6 and June 3 to Cabo Verde.
• Traveled between April 22 and June 3 to Minnesota or Sweden.
• Attendance at any out-of-state mass gatherings of 500 or more where individuals do not socially distance (6 feet) and wear a mask.
• Been on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15, 2020.
KDHE has adopted the CDC travel quarantine guidelines with modifications, according to the website. The travel quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on Day 8 and Day 11. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s website, https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1640/Shortened-Quarantine-Guidance-PDF—3-10-21?bidId=.
For those traveling internationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring testing within three days of flights into the U.S. For further information on this and other requirements, visit their website, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.
For those who are fully vaccinated (meaning it has been greater than two weeks since they completed their vaccinations), they are not required to quarantine regarding travel if they meet all of the following criteria:
• Are fully vaccinated (that is, 2 weeks or more following receipt of the second dose in a 2- dose series, or 2 weeks or more following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine).
• Have remained asymptomatic since the travel.
Persons who do not meet the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel.
Additionally, people with previous COVID-19 disease are not required to quarantine following travel if they meet all of the following criteria:
• Have evidence of a previous infection supported by a positive PCR or antigen test.
• Are within 6 months following infection. If an investigation was done documenting the date that symptoms resolved, or the date isolation measures were discontinued for asymptomatic patients, then the 6-month period can start from that end date. If those dates are not available, then the period will start from the date of the positive laboratory test. A serology or antibody test may not be substituted for a laboratory report of a viral diagnostic test.
• Have remained asymptomatic since the travel.
Persons who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel, according to KDHE.
The travel quarantine list is determined using a formula to evaluate new cases over a two-week period, then adjusted for population size to provide a case rate per 100,000 population. This provides a number that can then be compared to the rate in Kansas. Locations with significantly higher rates – approximately three times higher – are added to the list.
For more information on COVID-19, visit the KDHE website at www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus.
Free walk-in vaccinations available
The Unified Government Health Department vaccine sites are not open on Mondays.
The former Kmart store site at 7836 State Ave. will be open for free walk-in vaccinations for everyone 12 and older from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8.
People may also schedule vaccinations at WycoVaccines.org. Residents may request rides to the vaccination clinic through a form on the same website.
The Unified Government Health Department vaccination hours changed recently. To see the schedule and more information about vaccinations, visit WycoVaccines.org or https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
Those who receive COVID-19 vaccinations are asked to consider bringing an ID to make the process go faster.
The Health Department is doing more mobile COVID-19 vaccinations, and people may request vaccines to be given at different sites in the community by going to WycoVaccines.org and clicking on “mobile vaccine request.” People also may request a ride to vaccination sites on the same page.
Those who wish to schedule an appointment may use the Health Department’s self-scheduling tool at WycoVaccines.org and click on a blue button that says, “Click here to schedule an appointment online.” The page is available in Spanish by clicking at the top of the page. Walk-in appointments also are welcome.
Those who don’t have an internet connection may call 3-1-1 or 913-573-5311 for assistance in scheduling their vaccination appointment time and date.
To see more information about Health Department vaccinations and next week’s schedule, visit WycoVaccines.org.
Other sites available for vaccinations
Vaccinations at KU Health System are open to the public. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to make an appointment to get vaccinated. KU Health System currently is vaccinating residents of Kansas and Missouri who are 12 or older, by appointment only. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the appointment.
There are also pharmacies giving free COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacies, which are now also accepting walk-in vaccinations or appointments, and are starting vaccinations for age 12 and up at those pharmacies that are giving Pfizer vaccine (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/).
CVS has announced walk-in appointments for COVID-19 vaccine at some of its stores. Those interested in getting a vaccination at a CVS pharmacy are asked to visit a CVS website in order to make sure there is vaccine available. The website is at www.cvs.com/. Walgreens and Walmart also were listed on www.vaccines.gov as giving vaccinations.
Other pharmacies and sites giving vaccines are listed at www.vaccines.gov. The website also tells whether vaccines are in stock at the locations.
Case numbers reported
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 10 COVID-19 cases on Friday, June 4, for a cumulative 18,859 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 298 deaths reported, an increase of three since Thursday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 174,666 cumulative, COVID-19 cases on Friday in the Kansas City region. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 41.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 314,855 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Friday, June 4, an increase of 332 cases since Wednesday, June 2. There were a total of 5,084 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of four.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Sunday night reported 33,362,535 cumulative COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 597,628 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 13,908 new cases nationwide and 376 new deaths nationwide.
States with rising numbers of new cases were Florida, 3,000; Texas, 1,138; New York, 836; California, 798; and Washington, 794.
Countries with rising numbers of new cases were India, 114,460; Brazil, 66,017; Colombia, 28,971; Argentina, 23,627; and U.S., 13,908, according to Johns Hopkins information.
Free testing available
Free COVID-19 testing will be offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, June 7, at the Vibrant Health Cordell D. Meeks Jr. clinic (formerly Children’s Mercy West), at 4313 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. These tests are offered in conjunction with the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force.
Wyandotte County residents may contact the Health Department at wycohelp.org to sign up for a test to be delivered to their home.
For more details about free COVID-19 testing offered by the UG Health Department, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19, https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept or call 3-1-1.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. The department’s Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
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. There are more test sites listed on this page.
Saliva testing is now offered at the UG Health Department. For more information, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/02042021-ugphd-saliva-testing-available.pdf.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/330310795391910.
A vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.
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 Johns Hopkins Data in Motion, a presentation on critical COVID-19 data in the past 24 hours, is at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-daily-video.