Tag: COVID-19

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emerging variant known as the South African variant has been identified in Kansas, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

An individual in Finney County was found to have the B.1.351 variant, the KDHE stated. Finney County is in southwest Kansas, and its largest city is Garden City.

A case investigation is being conducted to determine how the person became infected with this particular variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as if others may have been exposed.

The variant was determined through the whole genome sequencing conducted through the laboratories at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The B.1.351 variant was originally identified in South Africa in December and has been found in 31 states and territories in the United States. At this point, it is not known to cause more severe disease and it is not clear whether it spreads more readily than other strains, according to the KDHE.

Although this strain can reduce the effectiveness of some vaccines, vaccines still provide strong protection against severe illness and death, the KDHE stated.

“We continue to encourage people to take the appropriate precautions. This includes wearing a mask that fits snuggly around the nose and face and has multiple layers of fabric or layering thinner masks with an additional cloth face mask to improve the fit,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE secretary, said. “Kansans should also follow isolation and quarantine recommendations, practice physical distancing, good hygiene, staying home if ill and getting the vaccine if you are able to.”

Another variant, B.1.1.7, also known as the UK variant, has previously been identified in Kansas.

There are currently 76 cases of the UK variant identified in 14 counties, the KDHE stated. This variant was first reported in the United States at the end of December 2020.

Evidence from the UK indicates that this variant spreads much more quickly through the population and, given that fact, may rapidly increase the number of hospitalizations and deaths, according to the KDHE. More studies are needed to confirm this finding.

Testing is available and free for all Kansans. To find a location near you, visit: www.gogettested.com/kansas.

The variants were discussed briefly at the University of Kansas Health System’s news conference on Friday morning.

When asked if the vaccine could make someone more sick after exposure to one of the variants, the panelists did not think the variants should affect a decision to get the vaccine.

Lance Williamson, RN, infection prevention and control nurse supervisor, said variants should not affect a decision to get a vaccination. Some of the vaccines do better against variants than it was originally thought, according to Williamson.

He said the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was rolled out in South Africa, which had the major variant there, and it was very effective. Scientists currently are keeping an eye on vaccines’ effect on variants, he said. The vaccines, he believes, are effective against the variants found in the communities, he added.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said there is data showing that there was a good immune response to variants from people who had been vaccinated.

Pfizer has released information about 800 people studied in South Africa who received the Pfizer vaccination. The vaccine was more than 90 percent effective against symptomatic disease, he said. The mRNA vaccines, particularly Pfizer, have shown it protects against those variants, he said.

The KDHE’s vaccine report for April 1 stated that next week, Kansas expects to get 38,610 Pfizer first doses and 38,100 Pfizer second doses. The state expects to receive 29,000 Moderna first doses and 27,800 Moderna second doses next week. Also, Kansas expects to receive 41,800 Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) vaccine doses next week, according to the vaccine report. State health officials have said numbers of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine may be less than what has been expected.

A total of 371,230 doses have been distributed to 19 federally qualified health centers that are giving vaccinations in Kansas, according to the state’s vaccination website.

KDHE reported 1.3 million total doses administered in Kansas, including first and second doses, for 29.8 percent of the Kansas population vaccinated.

COVID-19 case numbers reported

The University of Kansas Health System reported 10 active COVID-19 patients on Friday morning, a decrease of one from Thursday, according to Dr. Hawkinson. Of the 10 patients, five were in the intensive care unit, no change from Thursday. One patient was on a ventilator, no change since Thursday. There were another 16 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized but are out of the acute infection phase, an increase of one since Thursday. There is a total 26 patients, the same as Thursday.

Wyandotte County reported an increase of 14 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, April 1, from Wednesday, March 31, for a cumulative 18,084 cases. There was a cumulative total of 286 deaths reported, no change from Wednesday. The numbers were not updated on Friday, a UG holiday. However, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Friday reported that cases increased by 46 from Wednesday to Friday in Wyandotte County.

The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 164,376 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Friday, an increase of 216. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 61. The number of cumulative deaths was 2,339, an increase of seven.

The state of Kansas reported 302,873 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Friday, April 2, an increase of 501 cases since Wednesday. There were a total cumulative 4,932 deaths reported statewide, an increase of 19 deaths. According to the KDHE, there were a cumulative 56,299 cases in Johnson County, with an increase of 140 cases between Wednesday and Friday. There were a cumulative 54,861 cases in Sedgwick County on Friday, an increase of 72 cases between Wednesday and Friday. The KDHE reported a total 7,069 cases in Leavenworth County on Friday an increase of 18 cases between Wednesday and Friday. There were 16,967 cumulative cases in Shawnee County, the Topeka area, on Friday, an increase of 71 between Wednesday and Friday.

The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Friday night reported 30,606,778 cases in the United States, an increase of 67,938 cases, with 554,069 total deaths reported nationwide, an increase of 949 deaths.

Vaccinations available Monday

Free vaccinations will be available between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday, April 5, at the three Health Department vaccination sites in Wyandotte County. They are accepting walk-in appointments from Wyandotte County residents over age 16.

The Unified Government Health Department has launched a new self-scheduling tool for COVID-19 vaccinations, and people are now able to schedule their own vaccinations at their own convenience online.

The self-scheduling tool is at https://vaccines.wycokck.org/, or people may call 3-1-1 to make an appointment. More information is at https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-health-department-launches-new-self-scheduling-tool-for-covid-19-vaccinations/.

Residents 16 and older may either walk in to get a free vaccine or may schedule an appointment. There are three Unified Government Health Department vaccination clinics.

The vaccination sites are open from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the former Kmart store at 7836 State Ave., the former Best Buy store at 10500 Parallel Parkway and the Kansas National Guard Armory at 100 S. 20th (near 18th and Ridge).

Those Wyandotte County residents in Phases 1 to 4 also may walk in to a Health Department vaccination site, or may sign up for a vaccination at WycoVaccines.org or call 3-1-1.

Those who walk in to get vaccines should bring an ID and something showing their Wyandotte County address, such as mail. For more information about vaccines at the UG Health Department, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-vaccines-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.

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 tests scheduled

COVID-19 testing is available at 8 a.m. Saturday 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 Monday, April 5. 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. 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 doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/1882565778567501.

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.

A program through the University of Kansas School of Medicine helps to reach underserved areas in Kansas with COVID-19 information.

The RADx-UP program, part of a $500 million National Institutes of Health sponsored program, helps get COVID-19 testing and vaccine information to minority and underserved populations. The initials of the program stand for Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics – Underserved Populations.

Dr. Edward Ellerbeck, chair of population health at KUMC, said one part of the program involves research on developing different tests, such as how to speed up getting results or developing tests that can be used in the home, in communities or for mass testing. Also, they are working on how to get these tests to communities in need, he said.

While studying and learning, they also are doing pragmatic work to make sure at-risk communities are getting tested, Dr. Ellerbeck said.

He said it is important to get the communities involved, and let the community take the lead in what is needed.

The program works in 10 counties in Kansas, including some with meatpacking plants and immigrant populations that were hard hit, according to Dr. Ellerbeck.

Those counties include four urban, Wyandotte, Johnson, Sedgwick and Douglas, and six rural, Lyon, Crawford, Saline, Riley, Finney and Seward.

They have been working with representatives of the communities in the program, he said.

Dr. Ellerbeck said they’re doing different things in each of the 10 counties, then coming together every other week to discuss best practices and what is working, so the other groups can adopt those things.

As the focus is shifting toward vaccines recently, he said he has found that grass-roots efforts on the ground are really the same for vaccines as for testing procedures.

Messaging, especially in Spanish, was lacking at the beginning of the pandemic, said Marian Ramirez- Mantilia, director of Juntos Center for Advancing Latino Health at KU Medical Center

They have been working with Latino, African American and immigrant communities in Kansas to develop messaging, she said.

They have used some creative ways to dispel myths and get the message out, according to Ramirez-Mantilia.

Information now is more available in multiple languages than when they started, she said, and it is now more up-to-date in different languages.

Last year, there was some hesitancy on the part of workers to get tested because of a lack of time off, and now more people are engaged in the community and are working things out, she said.

“We know that testing is low everywhere and we’re working hard to improve that,” Ramirez-Mantilia said.

They also are working hard with members of the community to dispel myths, she said. For example, they’ve been releasing a series of messages, including one that tries to dispel a false myth that the vaccine has tracking chips.

She said some residents are hearing messages from other countries that are different from the health messages here. For example, one international leader talked about a miraculous cure for COVID-19, while another leader said he no longer needed to wear his mask because he already had COVID-19. Both those messages are contrary to the information that is being released from the CDC.

Some of the population in Kansas has been afraid to share their information because they think it might be shared with immigration officials, she said. The program tries to convince people that their information will be confidential and not shared with immigration officials, she said.

She said community health workers have helped residents overcome their fears, helped people get to tests and vaccines, and have helped people get food and rental assistance.

She said she would like to see clear, statewide messaging that the vaccine is safe and their information will be safe, too, she said.

A strong group of Latinos in Kansas have been working together, sharing information, she said. Having a consistent message throughout the state is important, she added.

Dr. Ellerbeck said the messages can’t just come from the state government, because there is a certain amount of distrust of the government. Scientific information in a language that people can understand is important, he said. The scientific validity also has to be reinforced by members of their community who they trust, he said.

COVID-19 case numbers reported

The University of Kansas Health System reported 11 active COVID-19 patients on Thursday morning, an increase of one from Wednesday, according to Dr. Hawkinson. Of the 11 patients, five were in the intensive care unit, an increase of three from Wednesday. One patient was on a ventilator, no change since Wednesday. There were another 15 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized but are out of the acute infection phase, an increase of two since Wednesday. There is a total 26 patients, an increase of three from Wednesday.

Wyandotte County reported an increase of 14 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, April 1, from Wednesday, March 31, for a cumulative 18,084 cases. There was a cumulative total of 286 deaths reported, no change from Wednesday.

The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 164,160 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Thursday. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 61. The number of cumulative deaths was 2,332.

The state of Kansas reported 302,372 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, March 31, an increase of 510 cases since Monday. There were a total cumulative 4,913 deaths reported, an increase of 11 deaths. According to the KDHE, there were a cumulative 56,159 cases in Johnson County, with an increase of 130 cases between Monday and Wednesday. There were a cumulative 54,799 cases in Sedgwick County on Wednesday, an increase of 94 cases between Monday and Wednesday.

The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Thursday night reported 30,538,840 cases in the United States, with 553,120 total deaths reported nationwide.

Vaccinations available Friday

Free vaccinations will be available between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 2, at the three Health Department vaccination sites in Wyandotte County. Although the Unified Government’s offices will be closed, the vaccination sites will be open Friday, according to a spokesman. They are accepting walk-in appointments from Wyandotte County residents over age 16.

The Unified Government Health Department has launched a new self-scheduling tool for COVID-19 vaccinations, and people are now able to schedule their own vaccinations at their own convenience online.

The self-scheduling tool is at https://vaccines.wycokck.org/, or people may call 3-1-1 to make an appointment. More information is at https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-health-department-launches-new-self-scheduling-tool-for-covid-19-vaccinations/.

Residents 16 and older may either walk in to get a free vaccine or may schedule an appointment. There are three Unified Government Health Department vaccination clinics.

The vaccination sites are open from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the former Kmart store at 7836 State Ave., the former Best Buy store at 10500 Parallel Parkway and the Kansas National Guard Armory at 100 S. 20th (near 18th and Ridge).

Those Wyandotte County residents in Phases 1 to 4 also may walk in to a Health Department vaccination site, or may sign up for a vaccination at WycoVaccines.org or call 3-1-1.

Those who walk in to get vaccines should bring an ID and something showing their Wyandotte County address, such as mail. For more information about vaccines at the UG Health Department, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-vaccines-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.

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 tests scheduled

Unified Government Health Department COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites are scheduled to be open on Friday, April 2. 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. 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.

COVID-19 testing also is available at 8 a.m. Friday 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.

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 doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/1420407758292181.

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.

Gov. Laura Kelly suffered a quick defeat in her latest effort to impose orders aimed at curbing the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Stephen Koranda, Kansas News Service

Topeka, Kansas — Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a new statewide mask mandate Thursday, but Republican lawmakers quickly used newly crafted legislative powers to reverse her order.

The action came under a new emergency management law signed by Kelly last week. The new law represented a compromise between the governor and the GOP-led Legislature. It extended Kelly’s state of emergency declaration through late May. That allows the state to continue assisting local governments and organizations with help such as providing protective equipment.

In exchange, the law caused all of Kelly’s executive orders related to the pandemic to expire. Now, lawmakers have new, if untested, powers to overturn orders as they’re issued.

A panel of legislative leaders, dominated by Republicans, blocked Kelly’s mask order just hours after she issued it, but let a dozen others stand.

In a joint statement, House Speaker Ron Ryckman, Majority Leader Dan Hawkins and Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch said there was no longer a need for the statewide mask order as Kansas coronavirus cases have fallen.

“Public health mandates should be short-term, data-driven and reserved only for pressing emergency situations,” the House leaders said. “Kansans have banded together for over a year to successfully reduce the spread of COVID — and they’ve done so during a time when most counties had opted out of the Governor’s mask mandate.”

The panel voted 5-2 to overturn the mask mandate, with two Democrats opposing the move.

“We are close to the finish line,” Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes said. “(The coronavirus is) still in our communities. There’s a variant out there. I think this is sending the wrong message.”

Kelly announced Thursday morning that she was reissuing executive orders ranging from the statewide mask mandate to a prohibition on foreclosures and evictions.

“Since the pandemic began, my administration has been laser-focused on supporting and protecting our communities and our economy,” Kelly said in a statement. “Extending these orders will ensure that our efforts will not have been wasted.”

She reissued a statewide mask mandate. Counties had the power to opt out of the previous order and many had.

Republicans had made clear they planned to reverse her mask order. If lawmakers aren’t in session, the orders can be overturned by a panel of legislative leaders called the Legislative Coordinating Council.

Both chambers had preemptively voted for resolutions urging the LCC to block the mask order.

Republican Sen. Mark Steffen said the falling COVID-19 cases and deaths in Kansas show the mask requirement isn’t needed, and he called masks simply a “pacifier.”

“If it makes you more comfortable to wear a mask, please continue to do so,” he said during Senate debate Wednesday. “Otherwise, I’d invite you to step forward, Kansas strong, and move ahead without a mask mandate.”

Numbers from the state health department show new COVID-19 cases have fallen significantly from the winter peak and are now at a low not seen since last summer.

Others point to those falling case numbers as evidence that precautions like wearing masks are working to ease the pandemic.

Democratic Sen. Mary Ware said that she is tired of masks, but she continues to wear one to help ensure everyone’s safety.

“The bottom line question for me is: How many deaths are acceptable?” she asked on the Senate floor. “For me, one Kansan lost more is one too many.”

Local governments still have the authority to issue their own mask orders, although the emergency management law also puts new restrictions on that. The law allows anyone “aggrieved” by a local health order to quickly challenge it in court, and the law sets broad guidelines for courts to overturn the orders.

Before the new law took effect, officials in Sedgwick County had already pointed to it as a reason to rescind that county’s mask requirement.

Private businesses and organizations still have the power to put in place their own mask rules.

Editor’s note: A local mask law is still in effect in Wyandotte County. It was amended March 25. See https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-commission-revokes-8-health-orders-amends-masking-and-distancing-order/

Stephen Koranda is the Statehouse reporter and news editor for the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter @Stephen_Koranda.

The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.

See more at https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-04-01/kansas-governor-issues-a-new-statewide-mask-mandate-but-republicans-scoff-and-quickly-overturn-it