Wyandotte County reported a cumulative total of 7,793 COVID-19 cases on Sunday afternoon, with a total 145 deaths, according to the UG COVID-19 website. (From UG COVID-19 website)
The Unified Government Health Department is moving its COVID-19 testing Monday from the 6th and Ann location to the former Kmart at 78th and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas.
The hours will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Tests are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County.
A free COVID-19 pop-up test will continue from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. The pop-up test is through Vibrant Health and the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force.
The 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. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
Free flu shots are being offered to students and the community at a drive-through clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at Donnelly College, 608 N.18th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Those participating must wear face masks. The flu shots are available on a first-come, first-served basis to those 6 and older. Those participating should bring their insurance cards, and if they don’t have one, then vouchers will be available.
The community flu clinic’s partners are Donnelly College and Bishop Ward High School, and the sponsors of the flu clinic are Mid-America Immunization Coalition, Nurture KC and Walgreens.
Wyandotte County reported a cumulative total of 7,793 COVID-19 cases on Sunday afternoon, with a total 145 deaths, according to the UG COVID-19 website.
Wyandotte County reported 80 additional COVID-19 cases on Friday, for a cumulative total of 7,710, according to the UG’s COVID-19 website. There was no change in deaths, which remained at 145. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)
Intentionally trying to get COVID-19 to get herd immunity is a bad idea, according to doctors at the University of Kansas Health System.
Reports have surfaced nationally that some youth are trying to get COVID-19.
It’s like playing Russian roulette with your health, said Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer for the University of Kansas Health System. He discussed it at the KU Health System news conference Friday morning.
It is not sound thinking, he said. There are better ways to make money than to sell your own plasma, he added.
If the immunity lasts four to six months, which is what they think now, then the reality is you have to get it every six months, he said.
That’s a terrible idea, because you’re playing with a loaded gun every six months, he said.
”Just because you’re young, stop thinking you’re invincible,” Dr. Stites said.
It’s not just about death, he said, it’s also about injuries you can incur. People will have long-term lung or heart illness or neurological impairments from memory loss, he said.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said herd immunity is a very dangerous prospect. It’s not just going to stay with the young people, but will spread to older people who are more vulnerable.
If you’re trying to get COVID-19 to sell plasma, there’s good evidence to suggest if you have mild or no symptoms, you may not mount enough antibodies to be helpful for anyone, he added.
Getting to herd immunity that way would cause so much more destruction and suffering, compared to what we have now, if they are able to get to 90 percent, he said.
There are more reports now of reinfection within three to four months of the original infection, Dr. Hawkinson said.
Dr. Stites said large numbers trying to get herd immunity would result in closing all the businesses and schools, and sheltering in place.
Safe voting in the fall elections
Dr. Stites said he already voted in person in early voting in Missouri, and thought it was great.
Wyandotte County is offering mail-in ballots, voting early in person and voting on Election Day, Nov. 3, at regular polling places. The first group of mail ballots were mailed to voters Wednesday, and the earliest advance voting in person starts on next Tuesday.
Polling places are working hard to make sure people maintain 6 feet of distance and wear a mask, and there was hand sanitizer everywhere, he said.
Amanda Gartner, RN, director of quality and safety at KU Health System, said there are things people can do to stay safe while voting.
Dr. Stites said they’re not seeing transmission of the virus from patient to patient in the hospitals, so if people can be safe in hospitals, they can do it anywhere if they wear masks and socially distance. He encouraged people to vote early.
Gartner said if people have concerns, call ahead. If voters take precautions they should be safe.
Dr. Hawkinson said people should be safe voting if they wear masks, socially distance and wash their hands.
KU hospital busy with patients
KU Health System is very busy, but it is with different conditions and it’s generally busy this time of year, according to Dr. Stites.
The 800-bed hospital in Kansas City, Kansas, has lost 45 beds when semi-private rooms were converted to private rooms. Then, COVID-19 generally takes up about 60 beds, for a total of 100 fewer beds than usual, he said Friday morning.
“By far the overwhelming majority of the patients we’re taking care of don’t have COVID,” Dr. Stites said. “That’s just normal routine care, and we’re heading into the busy season of the year.”
That’s why it’s so important to wear a mask, wash hands and socially distance, he said. It’s not just about COVID, it’s about influenza and rhinovirus and other illnesses, he said. If people wear masks, distance and wash hands, they are protected against all those viruses. If people do that they can take care of everyone , he said.
Hospitals are more full this time of year and it’s not a surprise, he said, COVID just pushes it a little higher.
“I don’t think anybody is getting denied care,” he said. At this time, they haven’t slowed down elective surgeries in the Kansas City area, he said.
They don’t want to see people who may be in pain delaying their care, Dr. Stites said. That has led to worse diagnoses for some people.
All the hospitals in Kansas City are still taking care of everybody, he said.
In Pittsburg, Kansas, they had a surge there and did put a halt to elective surgeries on Thursday, he said. Kansas City doesn’t want to end up like that, he added.
Gartner said whenever hospitals are concerned about their capacities, they work with other community hospitals to make sure they can provide the care that is needed.
Dr. Hawkinson said systems are in place here where intensive care unit directors meet regularly to discuss the capacities. They work together and coordinate as a team when they need to, he said.
Dr. Stites said the chief medical officers of hospitals also meet regularly, and the community has done a great job meeting together and working together.
“Kansas City should be proud, people work really well together,” he said.
KU Health System reported 26 COVID-19 inpatients on Friday morning, down from 27 on Thursday, with 11 patients in the intensive care unit, increased from eight on Thursday, and eight on ventilators, an increase from seven on Thursday, according to Dr. Hawkinson. He said one patient is on an ECMO machine, used for critically ill patients to replace the function of the heart and lungs. Thirty-five patients are past the acute infection stage but are still in the hospital, he said. HaysMed in Hays, Kansas, reported 14 COVID-19 inpatients on Friday morning, down from 19 on Thursday, with two patients in the recovery stage.
Wyandotte County reported 80 additional COVID-19 cases on Friday, for a cumulative total of 7,710, according to the UG’s COVID-19 website. There was no change in deaths, which remained at 145.
Johnson County reported a cumulative total of 12,744 with a total of 173 deaths, according to the KC Region COVID-19 Resource Hub. Kansas City, Missouri, reported 12,884 cumulative total cases with 165 total deaths.
The state of Kansas reported 1,700 additional COVID-19 cases from Wednesday to Friday, for a cumulative total of 70,855, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. There were an additional 21 deaths since Wednesday, for a cumulative total of 859.
The Kansas City Region COVID-19 Hub, a nine-county area, the Kansas City area has an average of 122 new hospitalizations a day, around the same average as last week. Numbers of cases in the hospital, on ventilators and in the ICU have increased. Average cases in the region are down, and tests are down this week. The average number of deaths is down slightly this week.
Free testing continues on Saturday, Oct. 17
A free COVID-19 pop-up test will continue from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 17, at La Fe en Jesucristo, 1500 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
Next week, starting Monday, the Health Department testing location is changing to the former Kmart store at 78th and State. The hours will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The 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.
The Unified Government Health Department on Monday, Oct. 19, will move its COVID-19 testing site from the current location at 6th and Ann to the former Kmart store site at 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
Testing hours at the new facility will be the same as at the Ann Avenue facility: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. As at the Ann Avenue facility, testing is available for people who live or work in Wyandotte County, with or without symptoms or exposure to COVID-19.
“COVID testing remains a critical priority, with results helping guide how we best continue moving forward,” said Mayor David Alvey, in a news release. “Ensuring convenient, accessible testing for residents throughout our entire community is also important, which the Health Department’s new permanent testing facility along with neighborhood ‘pop-up’ testing sites will continue to provide. Moreover, with free COVID testing now available to anyone who lives or works in Wyandotte County regardless of symptoms or exposure, winter weather just around the corner, and seasonal flu shots being made available in coming weeks, the new expanded testing site facility and location is intended to provide for faster, safer, and more convenient options.”
COVID-19 testing at the Ann Avenue location will no longer be available, allowing the Health Department to resume services that had been temporarily cut back or put on hold due to the pandemic. Monthly pop-up COVID-19 testing sites will continue throughout Wyandotte County. To view a list of these sites, visit wycokck.org/COVID-19. These pop-up testing events are provided by the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force, in partnership with Vibrant Health and Swope Health.
“Transitioning our testing operations to the former Kmart location at 78th and State Avenue has several benefits,” said Juliann Van Liew, director of the Unified Government Public Health Department. “The new location provides us a space to effectively provide testing during the winter months. It can accommodate more traffic than our Ann Avenue site, regardless of whether people are arriving by car, public transit, or on foot. It also gives us space to provide flu shots for our community on a larger scale, and eventually to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine should one become available.”
“One of the most important reasons for us to move our testing site is to resume more of our usual services,” Van Liew said. “While we’ve been able to offer some services remotely, such as WIC and home visiting, unfortunately we’ve had to reduce or temporarily suspend some services in order to administer COVID-19 testing at our site. Holding the testing at another location frees up our space and allows us to increase our service hours for a number of our clinical services, such as STI testing and treatment, family planning, laboratory testing, and immunizations.”
The new testing location has multiple benefits, including: • Centralized location within Wyandotte County • Ability to accommodate greater testing demand and volume as needed • Access to a warm, indoor location for testing during winter months, that also provides ample space for adequate social distancing between patients and staff • Greater access for motorists, pedestrians, and those using public transportation • The new location has a large, dedicated parking lot, meaning there will be separate access areas for people who are arriving by car versus pedestrians, meaning safer access to the facility for everyone.
Services such as STI testing and treatment, family planning, laboratory testing and immunizations will be available by appointment only. For appointments, call 913-573-8855. Some services will continue to be provided remotely, including WIC and Healthy Families Wyandotte home visiting.
Who can get tested?
COVID-19 testing is free to anyone who lives or works in Wyandotte County regardless of symptoms or exposure. If you do not have symptoms or have not been exposed to COVID-19, you can receive a free test at any time.
The UGPHD recommends that people come in for testing within 48 hours of their symptoms starting for the best results. Even if it has been longer than 48 hours, the UGPHD still strongly recommends that you get tested. Symptoms include:
• Fever • Chills • Cough • Shortness of breath • Headache • Muscle or body aches • Runny nose • Sore throat • Wheezing • Diarrhea • Nausea or vomiting • Rash • Fatigue • New loss of taste or smell
The Board of Public Utilities will provide the new testing location with water and electricity needs to support both increased free testing and free flu vaccine distribution.
“As our community continues to grapple with surges in COVID-19 cases, a persistent message has emerged from public health officials: it’s vital to get the flu vaccine this year,” said Bill Johnson, Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities general manager. “The flu vaccine is more important than ever this year in light of the pandemic. If we can prevent influenza and reduce severity of illness through vaccinations, it’s a strategy to alleviate stress on our health systems.”
Free flu shots coming soon
In the coming weeks, the UGPHD will begin offering free flu shots at the new testing facility for people who live or work in Wyandotte County.
Free flu vaccinations are supported by funding provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES Act. The UGPHD strongly encourages everyone to get a flu shot this year.
Both COVID-19 and the flu share some symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. In addition, both COVID-19 and the flu can cause severe illness in some people. Protecting yourself against the flu this year is especially important, as it helps Wyandotte County prevent health systems, such as hospitals, from being overwhelmed by both COVID-19 and flu patients who may be experiencing severe or life-threatening issues.
“Getting a flu shot isn’t just a good personal health decision, it’s also especially important this year as a way to combat the negative impact of COVID-19 in Wyandotte County,” said Dr. Allen Greiner, Health Department chief medical officer. “Flu vaccines won’t prevent COVID-19, but they will reduce the burden of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths on our regional health care system. This will help conserve precious medical resources for the care of people with COVID-19. As a community, we need to do everything we can to ensure that local hospitals are not overwhelmed by patients this season.”
The Health Department will announce free flu vaccinations when they are available in the coming weeks.
Flu shots are not recommended for individuals who currently have a fever. People who are asymptomatic or who have symptoms other than fever will be eligible to get a flu shot.
To learn more about COVID-19 and the county’s response, visit wycokck.org/COVID-19 or call 3-1-1.
