COVID-19 – Page 93 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Oak Grove School to return to online learning for two weeks because of COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 cases at schools in Wyandotte County are shown on a map at the UG’s COVID-19 website at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/. (From UG COVID-19 website)

Wyandotte County reported an additional 52 COVID-19 cases on Thursday afternoon, for a cumulative total of 7,342, according to the Health Department’s COVID-19 website. There was no change Thursday in the number of deaths, at a total of 134. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)

Oak Grove Elementary School in the Turner School District will return to online learning on Friday, Oct. 9, because of COVID-19 cases and exposures among staff and students, according to an announcement today from the Unified Government Health Department.

The latest exposures took place Oct. 5, according to a Health Department news release, and students will return to in-person learning on Tuesday, Oct. 20, which is 14 days after the most recent known exposure.

This temporary measure is the best way to curb further COVID-19 cases and potential exposure within the school, according to Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer with the Unified Government Health Department.

“Students will return from in-person learning 14 days after the last known exposure. That is the duration of one incubation period of the virus, meaning that by keeping people out for that length of time, we can provide the safest possible environment for the return of students and staff,” Dr. Greiner said in the news release.

According to the Health Department, there were seven confirmed cases at Oak Grove, including three staff members and four students. More than 100 students were exposed to COVID-19 at the school, the Health Department stated.

Turner District Superintendent Jason Dandoy stated that cases were identified between individuals who had contact at Oak Grove School.

No cases were attributed to transmission related to sporting events, Dr. Dandoy stated.

Although Turner High School is listed on the Health Department’s school case map as having eight student cases, more than Oak Grove, no cases were shown to be connected at the high school, according to Dr. Dandoy. The Health Department is allowing the high school to remain open.

The UG’s school case map shows COVID-19 cases at several schools throughout Wyandotte County. Turner Middle School had four student cases, according to the map. Carl Bruce Middle School in the KCK school district had three staff cases. Piper High School had six student cases. Piper Creek Elementary had three student cases and one staff case. Bonner Springs High School had two student cases. Plus, other school cases were reported throughout the county. The schools case map is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.

A Health Department letter sent to those affected at the school said that Oak Grove parents and teachers should monitor themselves and their children for symptoms during the 14-day quarantine period that the school building is closed. If they develop symptoms, they should get a test. If they were exposed to a positive case, they should get tested seven to nine days after exposure, regardless of their symptoms, according to the letter.

According to the Health Department news release, the cases and exposures were identified and investigated through a close collaboration between the school nurse and the Health Department’s epidemiology and contact tracing staff.

“This serves as a reminder of both the importance of contact tracing and of partnerships to prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19. I’m incredibly proud of the hard work of our contact tracers and Epidemiologists during this unprecedented pandemic, and it’s amazing to see our school nurses and education leaders working closely with public health experts to protect our community,” Dr. Greiner said in a news release.

The Health Department, in collaboration with the school and the district, decided to transition to online learning temporarily due to the high number of COVID-19 exposures, according to the Health Department news release. All parents/guardians and families with students at Oak Grove Elementary have already been notified of the COVID-19 cases and the temporary transition. Anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19 at the school has been notified and instructed to quarantine at home, according to the Health Department news release.

The Health Department has worked closely with districts in Wyandotte County to help schools protect students, families, and teachers as much as is possible, according to the news release.

“Although we have worked closely with all of our school districts over the previous several months to help create environments that allow students, families, and teachers to remain as safe as is possible, health professionals do often worry about the potential for exposure within schools despite safety precautions,” Dr. Greiner said. “In this instance, we are extremely glad Public Health Department staff and USD 202 moved quickly to identify the exposure and work collaboratively to prevent further spread.”

During this period, Oak Grove Elementary will move to online learning. Teachers may go into the building to provide virtual education but must isolate themselves in their individual classrooms, according to the Health Department news release. No intermingling of school staff will be allowed during this time.

The Health Department is working with Oak Grove Elementary to provide testing next week for students and staff who have been exposed to COVID-19. Additionally, local public health experts are continuously collaborating with all area schools about COVID-19 precautions. Health Department leaders meet regularly with superintendents, and the Health Department epidemiology team works very closely with school nurses, according to a spokesman.

“This continuous interaction and outreach between UGPHD, school officials and school nurses is critically important to continuing to provide the best educational environment for our students as possible, with the biggest margin of safety against the spread of COVID-19,” said Juliann Van Liew, director of the Unified Government Public Health Department. “Both UGPHD and our schools are constantly assessing and re-assessing our protocols and dealing with unanticipated events – the best way to overcome these challenges and protect our students and teachers is through open communication and cooperative, unified action in cases like this.”

“Oak Grove and USD 202 have been working very closely with the Wyandotte County Health Department regarding COVID-19 cases and exposures affecting our schools,” Dr. Dandoy said in the news release. “Student safety is our top priority and while unfortunate, we hope this temporary measure will slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. While students are away, Oak Grove will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. While we are disappointed not to work with our students in-person during this time, we are excited to provide opportunities for them to work with their teachers remotely. We know that these changes can be challenging and we will work to support students and families during this period. Oak Grove looks forward to seeing students return on October 20.”

More COVID-19 data for Wyandotte County, including the map of school-related COVID-19 cases, can be found on the COVID Hub at wycokck.org/COVID-19. Additional COVID-19 information can also be found by calling 3-1-1.

Free testing continues

Free COVID-19 tests are at the UG Health Department parking lot, 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. They are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is needed.

The tests are for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. Participants should bring something that shows their address or their work place, such as a piece of mail or a work badge.

The pop-up tests and the Health Department tests now open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. People now can be tested without any symptoms. 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.

Case numbers in Wyandotte County

Wyandotte County reported an additional 52 COVID-19 cases on Thursday afternoon, for a cumulative total of 7,342, according to the Health Department’s COVID-19 website. There was no change Thursday in the number of deaths, at a total of 134.

The number of COVID-19 patients at the University of Kansas Health System was down a little Thursday morning, with 32 in the hospital, less than 34 on Wednesday; 11 in the intensive care unit, increased one from Wednesday; and six on ventilators, no change from Wednesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. KU Health System had 26 more patients who were in the recovery phase, an increase of one since Wednesday. HaysMed in Hays, Kansas, reported 22 COVID-19 inpatients, an increase of two from Wednesday.

Kids affected by the pandemic

The University of Kansas Health System doctors’ news conference on Thursday included a discussion about mood changes in children who are affected by the pandemic. Dr. Stephen Lauer and Dr. Danielle Johnson offered advice for parents on how to spot warning signs in children and information to help cope.

Dr. Lauer advised that children keep to a routine, with regular bedtimes and mealtimes. Disruptions from COVID-19 have had a big impact on students’ physical and mental health, he said. Getting back to a regular schedule and to normal rhythms of daily life will help, he said. Also, laying around is not good for anyone – getting up and doing something has a lot to do with mental health, he said.

Dr. Johnson said most children who went back to in-person school have shown a decrease in anxiety. The children need to keep social distancing and wearing a mask while in school, which could be hard for older students. Dr. Johnson advised parents to open conversations with troubled teens in non-threatening ways, asking if they’re struggling with anything, and reassuring them that the parents will be there for the teens.

Since there are a number of activities and gatherings not taking place in the COVID-19 era, Dr. Johnson advised families to create some new traditions for the holidays. Think about how to alter the usual holiday activities to stay safe from COVID-19.

The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/947010969117657/.

The UG news release about Oak Grove Elementary School is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/10082020localschoolonlinelearningtemporarily.pdf.

More information about testing is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.

The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.

The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.

The CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

Wyandotte County project included in new statewide high-speed internet effort

High-speed internet effort launched for rural, underserved communities in Kansas

Kansas launched a new effort to provide broadband service to rural and underserved communities today.

Gov. Laura Kelly established the Office of Broadband Development, which is receiving about $50 million in federal funding that will enable rural and underserved communities to have internet connections for telehealth visits, for remote learning and also to allow more people to work from homes. The office will be in the Kansas Department of Commerce.

It is expected to stimulate economic development in some rural and underserved areas, also, according to officials. Stanley Adams was named to head the new office.

In all, there are 67 projects statewide, many at anchor locations such as schools, health departments, libraries and local governments.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County will receive a $2.8 million grant for providing fiber to premises and fiber to curb, according to the grant announcement. The project would connect existing UG fiber infrastructure with the cities of Bonner Springs, Edwardsville and Kansas City, Kansas.

According to the grant information, the project would connect fiber to curb at countywide public safety and emergency management locations, supply backbone infrastructure to municipal facilities in Bonner Springs and Edwardsville, connect the three major cities in the county to leverage shared functions, extend capacity to an underserved area of the county, and strengthen the county and state’s regional connectivity to the Greater Kansas City metro area for the Next Gen 9-1-1 dispatch connections and Operation Green Light.

Also in the announcement is a grant of just over $3 million for statewide telehealth efforts at the University of Kansas Health System.

According to the announcement, the grant would fund broadband infrastructure enhancements at 27 Care Collaborative member locations across the state to enable telehealth and telemedicine services for patients. It also would support 250 devices with connectivity for patients who do not have access to telehealth.

Sixty-seven projects were awarded a share of nearly $50 million for broadband infrastructure improvements. The projects are funded through the Coronavirus Relief Fund of the federal CARES Act and are part of the connectivity program approved by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Taskforce and the State Finance Council.

To see the governor’s news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/1265303990488900.

Wastewater being tested for COVID-19

Wyandotte County reported an additional 56 cases on Wednesday, for a cumulative total of 7,290, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported, for a cumulative total of 134. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)

The wastewater in Wyandotte and Johnson counties is being tested for COVID-19, according to Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health.

Samples are collected from wastewater here and tested weekly, according to Dr. Norman.

He said it could serve as an early warning sign, often before an outbreak in the community. It could give them a seven-day start on cases.

Work began last week on the wastewater collection, he said, which is an important adjunct for detecting early outbreaks but not a silver bullet for COVID-19. It provides an additional piece of data to fight against COVID-19, he said. Funding has been through the Patterson Family Foundation.

In April the Kansas Department of Health and Environment contracted with the University of Kansas College of Engineering to evaluate wastewater surveillance for COVID-19, Dr. Norman said.

Since then the wastewater detection method has been used in Hiawatha, Kansas, he added. There were no known cases in Brown County but the wastewater indicated a more extensive presence of COVID-19 in the community than previously thought. Health officials were able to do increased messaging about remaining vigilant, wearing masks and distancing, he said.

Dr. Norman encouraged people to get a flu shot by Oct. 31, which will help keep the number of hospitalizations down.

“Our hospital resources are going to be strained this fall and winter,” he said. “We must do everything we can do to prevent people from getting sick with the flu, which is preventable.”

Flu shots are about 70 percent effective, he added. In his experience, he said a person who gets a flu shot may sometimes get the flu, but he hasn’t seen a death from it.

He reported an increase of 1,244 COVID-19 cases and 17 additional deaths since Monday in Kansas.

On Tuesday, COVID-19 hospital admissions were the highest since the beginning of the pandemic, with 81 in one day, he said. It was the highest number of COVID-19 inpatients the state has ever had, he said.

According to White House figures, Kansas is in the red zone for new cases, and is 12th highest per capita, he said.

For percent positivity rate, the state is in the yellow zone; for tests per person, it is in the green zone; and for deaths, Kansas is in the red zone this week, he said.

Wyandotte County reported an additional 56 cases on Wednesday, for a cumulative total of 7,290, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. There were no additional deaths reported, for a cumulative total of 134.

Testing continues

Free COVID-19 testing will be available from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at Vibrant Health Argentine location, 1428 S. 32nd, Kansas City, Kansas.

The pop-up tests are through the Health Equity Task Force and Vibrant Health.