Despite all the recent talk about never reaching herd immunity from COVID-19 in the United States, a new ambitious national goal of 70 percent vaccinated with one dose by July 4 was announced Tuesday by President Biden.
The national vaccination campaign will shift gears to make it easier for people to get vaccines and to support vaccine education and outreach efforts, according to a presidential news conference Tuesday. There will be a shift from mass vaccination clinics to smaller vaccination sites.
According to the announcement, pharmacies participating in the federal vaccination program will begin offering walk-in appointments. In addition, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will support more pop-up clinics, mobile clinics, smaller community vaccination sites and will ship more vaccines to rural areas. More funding will be sent to communities for outreach and engagement.
Community-based organizations will receive funding to hire outreach workers and others to increase vaccine access especially in hard-hit and high-risk areas. There will be funding set aside for underserved communities. There also were programs announced for rural communities.
If a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there also will be an effort to get adolescents vaccinated as soon as possible, according to the announcement. There will be a push to vaccinate those 12 to 15 years old with one shot by July 4, to be fully vaccinated when school starts in the fall. Pediatricians and family physicians will be encouraged to offer the vaccine to their patients.
At the Tuesday morning news conference at the University of Kansas Health System, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, said that vaccination offers much better immunity than natural immunity that people get from having the virus. Dr. Hawkinson encouraged everyone to get the second shot of the two-dose vaccines.
People still need to protect themselves even if the mask ordinances have been lifted or lessened, according to Dr. Hawkinson. The virus is still out there, he said, and variants make up about 50 percent of infections.
Dr. Hawkinson believes the Pfizer vaccine will probably be approved soon for 12- to 16-year-olds, and adolescents probably will be able to get the vaccine in late May or early June.
The only thing that will help end the pandemic now is for everyone, including the vaccine hesitant, to get vaccinated, Dr. Hawkinson said.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said about half of the area hospitals, as KU Health System, are reporting higher numbers of COVID-19 cases. Some hospitals’ COVID-19 numbers are fluctuating. It’s important to be careful right now, he said.
Dr. Stites had an answer for those who say they don’t know the long-term side effects of the vaccines. Dr. Stites discouraged listening to misinformation, and said any side effects from the vaccines come within the first six weeks after receiving them. Since vaccines have been given for about a year, doctors know that there are no long-term side effects, he said.
But without the vaccine, if people get COVID-19 they could have long-term side effects that possibly could last for months.
“COVID-19 is terrible and long-haul syndrome is terrible,” he said.
After the FDA gives full approval to the vaccines, which may happen in the fall, there will be more employers requiring it, he believes. Also, he wouldn’t be surprised to see vaccine passports required at large public events.
Also at the Tuesday morning news conference at KU Health System, Dr. Carrie Wieneke, obsetetrician, and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at KU Health System, said she would get the vaccine if she was pregnant.
She also said they have seen the pregnancy rate rebound. Dr. Wieneke said the virus affects pregnant women more than non-pregnant women, and the vaccine protects them.
She also addressed two myths, saying that there’s no evidence the vaccine causes menstrual change, and reports that it causes sterility have been debunked.
Free vaccinations available Wednesday
Free walk-in vaccinations will be available for everyone over age 16 Wednesday, May 5, at three Unified Government Health Department locations: from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th St., (near 18th and Ridge), Kansas City, Kansas; from noon to 5:30 p.m. at the former Kmart, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas; and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the former Best Buy, 10500 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
To see more information about vaccinations, visit WycoVaccines.org or https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
UG Health Department vaccinations are now open to people from other counties and states. People may walk in for vaccinations or can schedule them.
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.
People who live in Wyandotte County can request transportation assistance to get their COVID-19 vaccination. They can submit a request online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1.
Other sites available for vaccination
KU Health System offers free vaccinations seven days a week at different locations. Appointments are required. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to see if vaccines are available.
The University of Kansas Health System also is open to anyone. People can call to get an appointment whether they are patients or not at the health system.
There are also pharmacies giving free COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacy at 76th and State Avenue, and 81st and State Avenue (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/), and Medicine Shoppe pharmacy at 65th and Parallel by appointment when available (see https://www.facebook.com/The-Medicine-Shoppe-Kansas-City-281548241870522). CVS pharmacy also has announced that it will offer COVID-19 vaccines at one of its stores in Kansas City, Kansas. Registration is at CVS.com.
Other pharmacies and sites giving vaccines are listed at vaccinefinder.org.
Case numbers reported
KU Health System reported steady numbers of COVID-19 patients on Tuesday morning. There were 25 active COVID-19 patients on Tuesday morning, the same number as Monday, according to Dr. Hawkinson. Six of these were in the intensive care unit, a decrease of one since Monday. Five patients were on ventilators, a decrease of one from Monday. There were another 10 COVID-19 patients who were still in the hospital but are no longer in the acute phase, a decrease of three from Monday. There was a total of 35 patients, a decrease of three from Monday.
Also, doctors said of the 25 current active COVID-19 patients, only one patient, in the 60s, was fully vaccinated. The age range of those in the ICU was 38 to 56, while the age range of COVID-19 patients on the regular medical surgical unit ranged from 23 to 81, and none was vaccinated.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of four COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, May 4, for a cumulative 18,507 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 291 deaths reported, an increase of one since Monday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 171,040 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, an increase of 153 since Monday. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 62.
KDHE reported 309,643 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Monday, May 3, an increase of 513 cases since Friday, April 30. There were a total cumulative 4,985 deaths reported statewide, an increase of three.
KDHE reported that Johnson County had 58,032 cumulative cases on Monday, an increase of 144 cases since Friday. Leavenworth County had 7,200 cumulative cases, an increase of 12 cases since Friday. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 56,258 cumulative cases on Monday, an increase of 126 cases since Friday.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday night reported 32,510,922 cumulative COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 578,407 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 49,921 new cases nationwide and 477 new deaths nationwide.
States with the highest number of new cases were Michigan, 5,557; North Carolina, 4,567; Texas, 4,439; Florida, 3,075; and Pennsylvania, 2,531.
Countries with the highest number of new cases were India, 357,316; U.S., 49,921; Turkey, 24,733; Brazil, 24,619; and Iran, 20,732, according to the Johns Hopkins information.
Free testing available Wednesday
One of the sites for free COVID-19 testing is open beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 5, at Lowe’s at 6920 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The tests are through WellHealth. Appointments are required. For more information, to see other testing sites and to make an appointment, visit https://www.gogettested.com/kansas.
Free COVID-19 testing will be available at UG Health Department testing sites. For information about UG Health Department COVID-19 testing sites and hours, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. To see if there is any change to the schedule, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept. Appointments are not needed.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. Their 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 KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/318458922963148.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/292961702392386.
A weekly vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.
Information about the new mask ordinance passed April 29, which loosened restrictions in Wyandotte County, is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/updatedwycomaskorder04302021.pdf.
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.