Hospitalizations increasing
Wyandotte County reported its 101st cumulative COVID-19 death on Tuesday, and Mayor David Alvey urged residents to continue complying with the mask mandate.
The county has made progress since the mask-wearing mandate went into effect in Wyandotte County on June 30. Unified Government Health Department charts show that after a spike on July 16, around two weeks after the Fourth of July, the seven-day average rolling rate of cases has been declining here.
Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients at the University of Kansas Health System are increasing, doctors reported.
Mayor Alvey said at a news conference Tuesday sponsored by the University of Kansas Health System that health officials have mentioned that those places without a mask order saw an increase in cases, while in those areas where masks were required of everyone, there was a 25 percent decrease in transmission.
There are still some people not complying with the mask order, and some are continuing to gather in large groups where the transmission risk is higher, Mayor Alvey said.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said it was remarkable that the mask order here has already had the effect it has had.
“There is absolutely no question about the importance of mask wearing, and anyone who thinks it is not is just deluding themselves,” Dr. Stites said. Masks have protected patients in hospitals for generations, and it keeps patients safe, he said. It’s no different around COVID-19, he added.
In Wyandotte County, cases are now around 43 a day, Mayor Alvey said. That’s down from the first spike. The numbers spiked again when people began to think it was over. Since the mask order the numbers have been declining, according to the 7-day rolling average chart.
“We still have some places where people don’t understand the necessity of the mask and where it’s an act of kindness to others, especially to those closest to you,” Mayor Alvey said.
Those who don’t wear masks are playing Russian roulette with their health and their family’s health, he added. He sometimes asks people who don’t wear masks, who among their friends and relatives they would be willing to part with?
The less people do the simple measures, such as wearing a mask and distancing, the more they have to do the drastic measures, such as medical intervention, he said.
The mayor and the doctors said COVID-19 had a very real negative impact on the economy, including on the businesses, local governments and hospitals.
The KU Health System reported 39 COVID-19 patients on Tuesday morning, including 11 in the intensive care unit and eight on the ventilator, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control.
On Monday the total was 31, and last week there were 23, he said. There is an 18-year-old COVID-19 patient in the hospital, he said. Those in the ICU range from age 30 to 86, and on the ventilator, 30 to 72, Dr. Hawkinson said.
Wyandotte County reported its 101st COVID-19 related death on Tuesday, Aug. 11, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. It was an increase of two since Monday. Wyandotte County also reported 44 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday afternoon, with a cumulative total of 4,959.
The 7-day rolling average of COVID-19 related deaths is currently very low in Wyandotte County, according to a chart on the UG COVID-19 website.
Dr. Stites said people can stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing hands, and socially distancing.
“We can stop it in its tracks,” he said, “before it stops you.”
Free testing offered
Free COVID-19 testing is planned from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Zotung Christian Church, 5010 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
The pop-up test is offered through Vibrant Health and the Health Equity Task Force.
Free testing also is offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, call 311.
The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/3680520225309926.
For more information on who may be tested and what to bring, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
The Wyandotte County school start order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.
The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.