The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools’ Central Office at 2010 N. 59th St. is currently closed because of COVID-19.
According to district spokesman Edwin Birch, there were about five COVID-19 cases at the Central Office and it is currently closed through Oct. 8. The office was closed on Thursday, Sept. 24.
He said the interim superintendent moved swiftly with recommendations from the Unified Government Health Department to close the office for 14 days.
Everyone is working remotely from home, Birch added.
Students in the school district are currently all working from home remotely for the first nine weeks to stop the spread of COVID-19, he added. Some staff and teachers are in the school district buildings.
Recently, options for returning to school in person were discussed at a school board meeting, but there were no decisions made yet.
Case numbers
Wyandotte County reported 35 additional COVID-19 cases on Sept. 29, for a cumulative total of 6,887, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported, for a cumulative total of 134.
There were 42,874 cumulative cases and 573 cumulative deaths reported in the Kansas City metropolitan area by the KC Regional COVID-19 hub.
In the Kansas City area, Johnson County reported 10,943 cumulative cases; Kansas City, Missouri, reported 11,072 cases; Jackson County reported 7,347 cases; and Leavenworth County reported 2,175, according to the KC Regional COVID-19 Hub.
At the University of Kansas Health System on Tuesday morning, there was a slight decrease in the number of acute COVID-19 patients, with 28 in the hospital, a decrease from 33 on Monday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, director of infection prevention and control. There were 10 patients in the intensive care unit, no change from Tuesday, and four on ventilators, an increase of one from Tuesday. The hospital had 22 COVID-19 patients who were no longer in the acute infection phase, an increase from 19 on Monday. HaysMed had 17 COVID-19 inpatients, including one on a ventilator.
Risk of severe illness from COVID-19 increases with obesity
Doctors at the KU Health System news conference on Tuesday discussed the risks of being obese and overweight, especially as it increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Dr. Jennifer McAllaster, bariatric surgeon, said the important thing in a pandemic is looking at little things that people can have control over. People can have healthy food choices in their homes, and they can look at increasing their activity during the day, she said.
Dr. McAllaster said that being obese puts people at more risk if they have COVID-19, and also at more risk for heart disease and other illnesses.
Dr. Ashley Rhodes, a psychologist, said increased pressures from the pandemic have resulted in more people eating too much and gaining weight. As routines are altered, and people no longer feel in control, some have found that eating gives them a sense of control or a sense of relief from the stress.
She said pre-COVID-19 strategies may not be working best for people at this time.
Dr. Rhodes and Dr. McAllaster had several ideas to help people with their eating habits. For example, Dr. Rhodes said if people want to make holiday foods in order that they can share them and connect with others, maybe they could find some other activity to connect and keep the traditions without food.
As one might expect, the doctors did not endorse late-night snacking. It is not a healthy approach, Dr. McAllaster said.
According to Dr. McAllaster, studies have shown late-night eating is even more problematic than calories during the daytime.
Dr. Rhodes said late-night snacking can be a pattern people get into as they start to relax or unwind at night and turn to food. People can try to change it, if they can decrease the amount of times they do this in a week, and look for other ways to have relaxation that don’t involve food, she said.
Dr. McAllaster said she discusses appropriate portion sizes with bariatric patients. She described the “perfect plate” as a salad plate, divided into sections. Half of the plate should be for protein, of about three to four ounces, while the other half is divided between a non-carbohydrate vegetable and a starchy vegetable or dessert. She said people, especially those who have had bariatric surgery, should eat in that order, the protein first, then the non-starchy vegetable, then the final vegetable or dessert.
To add more activities to their day, people might consider standing sometimes while working rather than sitting, and walking to work rather than taking a shuttle, Dr. McAllaster said. They might work in different physical activities at home.
Dr. Rhodes recommended being graceful and nonjudgmental with yourself in this process.
Free testing available on Wednesday
Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Judson Baptist Church, 8300 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
The pop-up tests are through the Health Equity Task Force and Vibrant Health.
Free tests also are at the UG Health Department parking lot, 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. They are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is needed.
The tests are for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. Participants should bring something that shows their address or their work place, such as a piece of mail or a work badge.
The pop-up tests and the Health Department 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 because of the weather or for other reasons.
More 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, or call 311.
The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/375969103579212
The Health Department has released its testing schedule for October, and it is online at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The Unified Government COVID-19 hub outbreak map at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.
To see an NEA list of schools that have had COVID-19 cases, visit https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=aa3f2ede7cb2415db943fdaf45866d2f.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The Unified Government Health Department is collecting information 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 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 CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.