Wyandotte County positive COVID-19 cases increased by 166 from noon Wednesday to noon Thursday, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 webpage. Also, hospital numbers are rising.
There were 3,317 cases reported at noon Thursday, an increase of 166, according to the UG’s COVID-19 website.
There were no new deaths listed in Wyandotte County, the total remained at 88.
On Tuesday evening, Wyandotte County health officials announced the mask order would also apply to persons who are exercising indoors at gyms or facilities, and also to day cares.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced on Wednesday that school start would be delayed until at least Sept. 9 in Kansas because of the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
According to the UG’s COVID-19 website, the Zip Code with the highest number of recent cases in Wyandotte County was 66102, which reported 238 cases in the past 14 days. Zip Code 66104 reported 135 cases, and Zip Code 66106 reported 114 cases. Zip Code 66101 had 108 cases in the past 14 days. Zip Code 66103 reported 69 cases, according to the website.
The University of Kansas Health System reported a total of 34 COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Thursday morning, an increase from 30 on Wednesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System. Twelve COVID-19 patients were in the intensive care unit and four were on ventilators, compared to two on ventilators on Wednesday. There were seven new admissions Wednesday and several discharges. One of the patients admitted is a teenager.
Dr. Hawkinson said they were running low on critical medications such as remdesivir, and he hopes they do not run short of medications to make patients comfortable while they are on the ventilator.
At a KU Health System news conference on Thursday morning, Dr. Doug Girod, chancellor of the University of Kansas, said the KU Lawrence campus is planning for an influx of students in a few weeks for the fall semester.
The university will test all students for COVID-19, with a free saliva test, according to Dr. Girod.
Students who test positive will be quarantined in Naismith Hall, according to Dr. Girod. They will have the help of the county health department in contact tracing. He said that the county health department, the university campus health center, KU Health System and the state health department have been assisting in making plans.
Monitoring and testing will continue through the semester, he said.
Everyone on campus will wear a mask and there will be social distancing in classrooms and other places, according to Dr. Girod. They will try to avoid face-to-face interaction by making stairways and hallways one-way.
He said there will be a combination of in-person and remote classes.
Lawrence recently saw a spike and new cases were traced back to a few bars, he said. Douglas County closed bars again and new cases started to decline.
Dr. Girod also said some researchers have developed an app that they hope will be used on campus. It asks a series of questions each morning, then gives the person a code that might say the person is not symptomatic at that time. Then the code could be entered into buildings. If there are symptoms, the app will tell the user to call a hotline and get tested.
Dr. Hawkinson said the virus is still out there and people should continue to follow guidance, physical distance, wear a mask, not go out if sick and wash their hands to reduce the risk as much as possible and keep their families safe.
To view the KU doctors’ news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/290096935440894.
For information on the amended Wyandotte County mask order, visit https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/07142020MaskOrderAmendments.pdf and https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/07142020LocalHealthOfficerOrderMaskAmendments.pdf.
The governor’s executive order on masks is at https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20200702093130003.pdf.
The governor’s news release on the mask order is at https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-laura-kelly-signs-executive-order-mandating-masks-in-public-spaces/.
The Wyandotte County mask order is at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/06272020LocalHealthOfficerOrderRegardingMasks.pdf.
Wyandotte County has posted an application for nonprofits, government agencies, school districts and businesses in Wyandotte County that want to apply for CARES Act funding. The web address is https://us.openforms.com/Form/6273fe80-8bba-4c18-b4e7-e551096d8a83.
For information on how to make an easy no-sew mask, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/how-to-make-a-no-sew-cloth-mask/.
For more information about COVID-19 testing, including other sites, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. Residents also may call 3-1-1 for more information about testing.
The state’s COVID-19 test page is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/280/COVID-19-Testing.
Residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.
Wyandotte County is currently under Phase 3. See covid.ks.gov.
The state plan’s frequently asked questions page is at https://covid.ks.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reopening-FAQ_5.19.2020_Final.pdf.
The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.