An effort has been launched in Wyandotte County to limit the spread of COVID-19, according to an announcement today.
Three organizations have joined together to help businesses show they are committed to fighting COVID-19. The three organizations are the Kansas City, Kansas, Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Kansas City, Kansas, Chamber of Commerce and the Wyandotte Economic Development Council.
According to a spokesman, businesses and individuals can go to KeepWYCOWell.com and pledge to follow guidelines that help combat the spread of COVID-19. The guidelines were developed based on recommendations from the Unified Government Health Department as outlined in the Wyandotte County COVID-19 Business Toolkit and from the CDC and Kansas Department of Health & Environment.
“As a nation and as a community, this pandemic has created an unprecedented public health crisis with a direct economic impact,” said Greg Kindle, president of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council. “We encourage the business community and their employees to be safe and take an active role in health and safety.”
One challenge for businesses is convincing customers that it is safe to return. This is particularly true for hospitality and tourism-related businesses.
“Kansas City, Kansas, prides itself on being a welcoming community, and now we need to be a safe one as well,” said Alan Carr, executive director of the Kansas City, Kansas, Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This program can help boost the public’s confidence that Kansas City, Kansas, is a safe place to visit and that our destination is taking precautions to keep everyone healthy and safe.”
Businesses that take the pledge agree to implement barriers, increase sanitation, promote health screening measures for employees and follow industry-specific practices outlined in the Wyandotte County COVID-19 Business Toolkit. Individuals who take the pledge agree to wear a mask, social distance, practice appropriate hygiene, monitor their health, and show kindness and patience when patronizing businesses.
“The KCK Chamber is proud to partner on this initiative to ensure our businesses remain open and our community stays safe,” said Daniel Silva, president and CEO of the KCK Chamber. “The pledge promotes collaboration and doing what is best for the common good.”
Businesses who take the pledge can access a toolkit with marketing tools including window clings and social media graphics, as well as links to resources detailing industry-specific best practices to keep both employees and customers safe.
For more information on the initiative or to take the pledge, visit KeepWYCOWell.com.
COVID-19 cases increasing
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 109 cases on Wednesday, for a total cumulative 5,746 cases, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 website. There were 113 COVID-19 deaths, an increase of two since Tuesday.
Johnson County reported 7,682 cases on Wednesday, and Leavenworth County had 1,658, according to the KDHE.
The state of Kansas reported 39,937 cases from 105 counties with 437 deaths on Wednesday morning. It was an increase of 1,536 cases and 11 deaths since Monday, according to the KDHE. Douglas County reported 1,075 cases and Riley County, 574.
Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said the Kansas case rate is 108 cases per 100,000 per week, the 16th highest in the United States.
“We have some work to do in bringing those numbers down,” he said.
On the positive case rates, Kansas is the sixth highest in the United States, he said.
Thirty percent of the Kansas counties are in in the “red or yellow” areas for community spread, indicating high numbers and intermediate numbers, he said.
Fifty-three percent of new cases are related to just three counties, he said.
Kansas did 36,510 diagnostic tests last week, he said.
Eleven new clusters were reported since Monday, Dr. Norman said.
The percentage of new overall COVID-19 cases in the Midwest rose 20 percent this week, he said. As the number of cases are reducing in southern states, the Midwestern states are picking up, he added.
“Hospital use is steady but still too high,” he said. Flu season is not that far away. Deaths are less on a per capita basis than the last few months but the trend seems to be slightly increasing, he said.
Dr. Norman also discussed a Hong Kong man who tested positive twice, with the second test 4.5 months after the first infection. Scientists believe it was another infection.
It will bear watching, he said, with immunity not lasting in that individual for 4.5 months.
Seven universities had outbreaks, as well as six kindergarten to 12 schools and day cares.
Since the end of May, when the mandate for the Ad Astra plan was no longer in place, there has been a pretty steady increase, Dr. Norman said. He believes there could be some leveling off in the future. The Ad Astra statewide plan is a mandate in Wyandotte County from local health officials, with modifications.
“If this was a football game, we’re at the end of the first quarter,” Dr. Norman said. There are quite a few months ahead, there will be challenges such as schools restarting, he added.
“I think we need to be very attentive to the things we know are the reasons this virus spreads,” Dr. Norman said.
“Community spread is still active, not just in nursing homes and prisons, but in the communities as well,” he said.
There is a long way to go to get to herd immunity, which would be 90 to 95 percent, he said. Preferably, it could be achieved by vaccine, not by everyone getting the disease.
The American Red Cross tests blood donations for the COVID-19 antibody, Dr. Norman said, and only 1 percent of people are showing up with the antibody, he said. That isn’t a scientific study, but 1 percent is a fairly low number, he added. They are seeing it now that they are doing more antibody testing.
Herd immunity through natural diseases is not something that should be a goal, he said.
Dr. Norman urged people to get their flu vaccines this fall. There are still a lot of COVID-19 patients in hospitals, and in prior years, the flu season put a stress on hospitals for space, he said.
Dr. Norman said he thinks it’s a good idea that the Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization for convalescent serum. He added that it is still being studied, and anecdotal evidence shows it’s beneficial, he added.
“We are not helpless against this virus,” Dr. Norman said, adding that he would like children especially to know that. People may be getting frustrated by restrictions on movement, however.
The things that work are physical distancing, mask use, hand washing, staying home when ill, getting tested if symptomatic and being isolated when they are positive.
“Those are things within our grasp now, and they will continue to be effective, but we have to do them,” Dr. Norman said.
At the University of Kansas Health System, there were 24 COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Wednesday, an increase of one from Tuesday. There were nine COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit, a decrease of one since Tuesday, and six patients on ventilators, an increase of three since Tuesday. There were another 33 COVID-19 patients who were past the acute infection phase.
Free testing offered
Free COVID-19 testing is planned from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at Quindaro Community Center, 2726 Brown Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, through Swope Health and the Health Equity Task Force.
Another pop-up COVID-19 testing site will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Eighth Street Baptist Church, 1420 N. 8th St., Kansas City, Kansas, through Vibrant Health and the Health Equity Task Force.
Free testing also is offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, call 311.
For more information on who may be tested and what to bring, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
The Unified Government Health Department is now 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 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 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.