More vaccine on the way next week, governor says
The Biden administration has announced a 16 percent increase in the amount of vaccine that states will receive next week, according to Gov. Laura Kelly.
The state’s biggest challenge has been the shortage of vaccine from the federal level, the governor said Wednesday.
Gov. Kelly, in a news conference, said the administration has committed to give states three-week forecasts on the amount of vaccine they will receive.
Since the vaccination process started, the states only heard on a week-by-week basis how much vaccine they would receive, she said. That created a “weekly logistical fire drill,” she said.
Key workers to have priority in Phase 2 vaccine distribution in Wyandotte County
The Unified Government Health Department on Friday announced that its priority in Phase 2 vaccine distribution in Wyandotte County will be high-contact critical workers.
Three groups were listed in Phase 2 on Thursday by the governor – those aged 65 and older; those in congregate settings; and high-contact critical workers.
Because there isn’t enough vaccine currently for everyone in these groups, the high-contact critical workers will go first in Phase 2 here, according to Health Department officials. This group includes workers who are in a lot of contact with the public and could be at higher risk for being exposed to and spreading the virus, according to the Health Department.
Residents asked to ‘be patient’ as Phase 2 of vaccine rollout begins
Residents and health care workers are awaiting changes from the rollout of Phase 2 of the governor’s vaccination plan in Kansas, as well as changes made Thursday at the federal level aimed at getting the COVID-19 vaccine to the population faster.
Although everyone 65 and older in Kansas is now eligible to receive the vaccine, along with those who live in congregate settings and high-contact critical workers, there is not enough vaccine currently available to give to those groups.
Gov Laura Kelly said Thursday in a news conference that the state’s three priority groups in Phase 2 were created with input from local and federal partners. The goal was to protect as many Kansans as possible, as quickly as possible, she said. Health departments may decide if any of the three groups should be prioritized in each community, she added.
COVID-19 case numbers at a high plateau, according to health secretary
The Unified Government and Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, with residents, joined with the nation on Tuesday night in a nationwide lighting memorial to honor the more than 400,000 American lives lost to COVID-19. Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Kansas, City Hall and the Wyandotte County Courthouse were lit in memory of the COVID-19 victims. (Photo from Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department)
COVID-19 case numbers in Kansas are trending down, according to Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health.
Dr. Norman, speaking at the University of Kansas Health System news conference on Tuesday, said the Kansas case per capita rate is one of the best in the nation. The coasts and the South are increasing in their numbers of cases currently, he said.
COVID-19 vaccines should still be effective against variants of the coronavirus, according to an expert.
Dr. Gregory Polland, a physician and scientist who is the director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, said the biggest concern currently is the effect of virus variants, which have caused case numbers to increase throughout the nation. He spoke during a virtual news conference Friday morning from the University of Kansas Health System.
That increase of positive cases in the community is being seen at the Mayo Clinic as well as in the Kansas City area, he said, while the number of patients in the hospital and in the intensive care unit has decreased recently.