Who will be in the second group to get COVID-19 vaccines in Kansas?
Gov. Laura Kelly has previously announced the first group – health care workers and long-term care workers and residents – would get COVID-19 vaccines now through the winter. EMS and front-line public health workers also are in this first group.
The second group was announced on Wednesday at the governor’s 4 p.m. news conference.First responders, some public-facing workers in essential and critical infrastructure, teachers, school staff, child care workers and individuals at high risk for adverse health consequences are in the second group. That group is expected to get vaccines in late winter.
The third group is all other adults, who are expected to get vaccines in the spring.
Children are in the fourth group, to get vaccines in the summer, if children are approved to get vaccines at that time. Currently, only those over 16 can get vaccines.
“Through this framework, my administration upholds our commitment to maximizing benefits, minimizing harm, and striving for equity, justice, and fairness when it comes to when the vaccine will be made available to which Kansans,” Gov. Kelly said. “We are committed to protecting the greatest number of Kansans, fostering economic recovery, and getting our kids back into school buildings as quickly and safely as possible.”
The timelines will depend on whether the state receives the vaccines from the manufacturers according to plan, according to the governor.
Vaccines of front-line health care workers began Tuesday in Wyandotte County, and were expected to continue through this week and this month. They are receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Kansas received about 23,000 doses of the vaccine this week.
Long-term care home vaccinations probably will start next week, Gov. Kelly said.
According to Gov. Kelly, 49,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is expected in Kansas next week. That vaccine was pending emergency use authorization. Another shipment of Pfizer vaccine also was expected.
While the pandemic will be over some day, probably not soon, life isn’t expected to return to normal for some time. Gov. Kelly urged people to continue wearing masks, socially distance and practice good hygiene.
Answering a question about “line jumping,” or going out of turn, Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said the people who will administer the vaccines will ask recipients the reason they registered for the vaccine. He is hoping people will self-police and the spirit of good will and the community spirit will carry the way, he said.
Gov. Kelly, answering a question about a mayor in Dodge City who resigned after being threatened when the city issued a mask order, said there is no place for threats in today’s world. “This is a health crisis, not a political battle to be won,” she said.
The governor also urged Congressional leaders in Washington to organize and pass a second relief package as soon as possible. Progress was reported on efforts to pass a relief package on Wednesday.
“It’s long overdue,” Gov. Kelly said. The proposed funds would help individuals as well as programs such as vaccine distribution.
“In addition, Congress needs to extend the deadline for CARES Act funding,” she said. Without the extension some of the funding may have to be forfeited, she said. The deadline is Dec. 30 for agencies to spend the federal dollars they have been allocated.
Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts have introduced legislation to extend the deadline, and Gov. Kelly commended them for it on Wednesday.
“Kansans need help,” she said.
Nurse recounts her experience on a ventilator, successfully fighting COVID-19
At the University of Kansas Health System news conference Wednesday morning, doctors said they were excited to see the first health care workers there getting the vaccination.
At the news conference, a 50-year-old nurse from the Great Bend area discussed how she formerly didn’t always wear a mask when she was in the community. She got COVID-19, and had to be hospitalized. Her condition worsened, and she had to be airlifted to another hospital and put on a ventilator, she said.
The nurse praised her respiratory therapist for going beyond normal expectations, and helping keep her family informed.
Now she is feeling much better and she tells her family, including the younger ones, to wash their hands and wear a mask. The nurse also tells everyone not to think about politics, but to pay attention to the advice to wear a mask and socially distance.
There was some complacency in her small town, and the feeling that they wouldn’t get the coronavirus there, she said. The mask-wearing culture in her town is starting to get better, she said. Wearing a mask is just respecting other people, she added. She also said she wants to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The University of Kansas Health System reported lower numbers of COVID-19 patients on Wednesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. There were 76 active COVID-19 patients in the hospital, a decline from 87 on Tuesday, with 36 patients in the intensive care unit, a decrease from 55 on Tuesday and 26 on ventilators, the same number as Tuesday. There were another 74 COVID-19 patients who are not active patients but are still in the hospital, a decrease from 74 on Tuesday. In all, there were 150 COVID-19 patients at the hospital, down from 165 on Tuesday.
HaysMed in Hays, Kansas, reported 26 COVID-19 inpatients, down from 30 on Tuesday, and 19 of them were active patients, with seven in the recovery phase.
The doctors noted that patient numbers in hospitals in the Greater Kansas City area seem to be trending downward now.
Case numbers
Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 12,847 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, an increase of 95 since Tuesday. There were three additional deaths reported, with the cumulative total at 187.
Kansas reported an additional 4,551 COVID-19 cases from Monday to Wednesday, with a cumulative total of 194,569, according to figures from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. There were an additional 144 deaths statewide, for a cumulative total of 2,253. Dr. Norman said that deaths were sometimes reported in batches, and did not occur on the same day.
The Mid-America Regional Council Kansas City Region COVID-19 data hub reported an additional 1,409 cases in the nine-county Kansas City region, for a cumulative total of 108,978. There were a cumulative 1,288 deaths reported. The average number of new hospitalizations was 183, down from Tuesday.
Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 16,979,762 COVID-19 cases in the United States on Wednesday, and 307,501 cumulative deaths.
Free COVID-19 testing available Thursday
Free COVID-19 testing is available from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at Vibrant Health Argentine location, 1428 S. 32nd, Kansas City, Kansas.
The tests are through the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force and Vibrant Health.
The Unified Government Health Department has moved its COVID-19 testing from the 6th and Ann location to the former Kmart at 78th and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. The hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Tests are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. The tests are nasopharyngeal swab tests. The Health Department no longer uses saliva tests.
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. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
Additional 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.
The governor’s news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/155260669266933.
The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/1596932980508509.
For more information about the testing site at the former Kmart location, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/10092020_newtestingsitewyco.pdf.
The KDHE vaccine report is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1664/COVID-19-Vaccine-Updates-1292020-.
Cards and letters of encouragement for caregivers at KU Health System may be sent to Share Joy, care of Patient Relations, 4000 Cambridge St., Mailstop 1021, Kansas City, Kansas, 66160. Emails can be sent to [email protected].
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask and social distancing order. Also, the Wyandotte County health order with a limit of 10 persons to a gathering, and a closing time of 10 p.m. for restaurants and bars, with other new restrictions, is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/11162020localhealthorderexecuted.pdf.
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 CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.