The Unified Government Health Department has announced it will add hours on every Saturday in April at its east vaccination facility at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 18th and Ridge.
Saturday hours will be 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 10, April 17 and April 24. The Saturday vaccinations are open to people age 18 and older who live in Wyandotte County.
Patients being vaccinated on Saturdays will receive the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine. This vaccine is approved only for those 18 and older. Wyandotte County residents wishing to be vaccination can either walk in to receive their vaccination or make an appointment.
“Throughout the vaccine rollout, we have been working to make vaccines more accessible for our County,” said Juliann Van Liew, director of the Unified Government Public Health Department. “We’ve heard from many of our partner agencies and community members that people needed the option of weekend vaccination hours. Now we’re able to provide those throughout April. Wyandotte County residents can walk in or make an appointment, whichever they prefer. If they need transportation assistance, we can provide that as well. We want everyone living in Wyandotte County to have the opportunity to get the vaccination at a time and a location that works for them, and we hope this helps make that possible.”
Some vaccination hours reduced
In order to accommodate the new Saturday vaccination hours, the Health Department will need to reduce hours on Mondays temporarily. For April:
• The Armory vaccination (100 S. 20th St.) site will be closed on Monday, April 12.
• The former Kmart site (7836 State Ave) will be closed on Monday, April 19.
• The former Best Buy site (10500 Parallel Parkway) will be closed on Monday, April 26.
How to schedule a vaccine appointment online
- Go to WycoVaccines.org, and click on the blue button that says, “Click here to schedule an appointment online.”
- Fill out pertinent contact information.
- Select a preferred vaccination site. A calendar will then be displayed with available dates.
- Select a date to see available appointment times, then click the time you would like to schedule.
- Once the vaccination appointment is scheduled, the application shows a confirmation, along with any additional instructions.
- When coming in for your appointment, you will be asked to show proof of that you live in Wyandotte County, such as a piece of mail addressed to you, drivers’ license, or similar.
- When users book an appointment using the Self-Scheduling Tool, that means they will be vaccinated within the hour of their appointment time. For example, if a user selects “10 a.m.” as their appointment time, they will be vaccinated between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on their selected date.
How to schedule a vaccine appointment by phone
Wyandotte County residents who don’t have an internet connection can call 3-1-1 (913-573-5311) for assistance in scheduling their vaccination appointment time and date, or for assistance in requesting a ride to and from vaccine sites.
While walk-in patients are welcomed at any of the sites, walk-in patients will not be accepted after 2:30 p.m. All Wyandotte County residents who want a vaccination (whether by appointment or walk-in) must bring proof of residence with them, such as a piece of mail, drivers’ license, or similar.
Request a ride to and from a vaccination site
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.
Tips for getting your vaccine
When it’s time for you to get your COVID-19 vaccine, keep these tips in mind:
• Please eat something (even a snack) before getting your vaccination.
• Be prepared to wait in the Recovery area for 15-30 minutes after your vaccination
• Wear a short-sleeved or sleeveless shirt so you can be vaccinated more easily (if it’s chilly out, wear a sweater or jacket over your short-sleeved shirt).
Volunteer opportunities
The Health Department is seeking additional volunteers to help with COVID-19 vaccine efforts. Volunteers are needed in both clinical and non-clinical roles. People interested in joining the volunteer team are invited to fill out the Volunteer Application: ughealth.info/volunteer.
Others offering vaccinations
The University of Kansas Health System also is offering vaccinations for Wyandotte and Johnson county residents. Any resident of Kansas can call to get an appointment whether they are a patient or not at the health system. There are about 8,000 open appointments.
KU Health System offers 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.
There are also pharmacies giving 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.
COVID-19 case numbers reported
The University of Kansas Health System reported eight active COVID-19 patients on Wednesday morning, an increase of one from Tuesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Of the eight patients, three were in the intensive care unit, no change from Tuesday. One patient was on a ventilator, the same as Tuesday. There were another 14 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized but are out of the acute infection phase, a decrease of one since Tuesday. There is a total 22 patients, no change since Tuesday.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 15 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, April 7, for a cumulative 18,155 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 287 deaths reported, no change from Tuesday. According to the Wyandotte County vaccine page, there were 21.5 percent of the county’s residents who had at least one COVID-19 vaccination, and 11.6 percent who completed their vaccinations. There was a total of 35,567 Wyandotte County residents with at least one vaccination shot, and 19,146 residents who had completed their vaccinations.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 164,810 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, an increase of 201. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 66. The number of cumulative deaths was 2,341.
The state of Kansas reported 303,767 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, April 7, an increase of 540 cases since Monday. There were a total cumulative 4,932 deaths reported statewide, an increase of five.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Wednesday night reported 30,921,976 cases in the United States, with 559,109 total deaths reported nationwide.
COVID-19 tests scheduled
Free COVID-19 tests will be available from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 8, at Vibrant Health, Argentine location, 1428 S. 32nd, Kansas City, Kansas. The tests are in partnership with the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force. Nasopharyngeal swab-PCR tests will be provided by Vibrant Health.
COVID-19 testing is available at 8 a.m. Thursday at Lowe’s, 6920 State Ave., by appointment. The tests are listed on the Go Get Tested site
at www.gogettested.com/Kansas. The WellHealth tests need appointments, which can be made at the website.
Unified Government Health Department COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites are scheduled to be open on Thursday, April 8. For more information, 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.
The Health Department is offering saliva COVID-19 tests to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 8, at the former Kmart at 7836 State Ave. and at the former Best Buy at 10500 Parallel Parkway. Tests from the Health Department are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County.
The tests 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. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
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.
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/358223565512095.
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=.
Wyandotte County has a local mask and social distancing ordinance approved by the UG Commission. The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
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.