COVID-19 news: KC school employee hospitalized, Douglas County issues stay home order
As the novel coronavirus continued to spread across the U.S., killing more than 400 people by Monday, more residents in Missouri and Kansas tested positive for the virus.
New cases included employees at the Leavenworth VA Medical Center and Kansas City Public Schools. More officials, including in Douglas County, ordered people to stay home. Hand sanitizer dispensers were ripped off walls at the Kansas City International Airport.
By Sunday, Missouri officials had recorded 106 confirmed cases of COVID-19 while Kansas reported 64, though public health officials warn the actually infection rate was likely higher. The day before, confirmed cases had numbered 90 in Missouri and 55 in Kansas.
Over the weekend, public health officials said there was “clear evidence” of community transmission in St. Louis County.
Additional cases were identified in Clinton County and Johnson County, Missouri, where a non-military member at Whiteman Air Force Base, about 70 miles southeast of Kansas City, tested positive.
“This first confirmed case is a stark reminder that we must take this seriously,” Col. Jeffrey Schreiner, the 509th Bomb Wing commander, said in a statement.
In Fulton, Missouri, nine students at William Woods University have tested positive for the virus. They have self-isolated on campus, according to the health department in Callaway County.
Stay home orders
With the increase in positive tests across Missouri and Kansas, officials in numerous jurisdictions, including Kansas City and Wyandotte, Johnson, Leavenworth and Jackson counties, ordered residents to stay home starting 12:01 a.m. Tuesday to limit the virus’ spread.
Douglas County joined the effort. Its health officer, Dr. Thomas Marcellino, said with the community’s full cooperation, the “proactive public health order can minimize the impact of COVID-19.”
On Sunday, the Kansas City International Airport said several hand sanitizer dispensers had been ripped off of the walls in bathrooms. The airport said it would be unable to purchase more dispensers for months.
“Acts like this impact many people,” the airport said.
Airport officials said they were reviewing surveillance footage near the restrooms. They noted the airport still had “plenty of soap and paper towel dispensers intact,” and there were hand sanitizer dispensers in most restrooms.
On Monday, Kansas City Public Schools said an employee tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
“This is the first and, so far, only confirmed case among our approximately 2,400 staff members,” officials said. The employee is being treated at an area hospital and “is recovering well.”
The employee’s name and position in the district was not released. Officials said the employee “never entered entered any of our schools or other buildings upon having symptoms.”
Some spread of the virus may be possible before people show symptoms, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An employee at the Leavenworth VA Medical Center also tested positive, officials said Monday, calling the risk of transmission to other patients and staff low. Those who may have come in contact with the employee were notified and the unit where the person worked last week was cleaned over the weekend, according to a VA statement.
In the Western District of Missouri, U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison called on residents who suspected COVID-19 fraud schemes to report them to the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 1-866-720-5721 or disaster@leo.gov.
“I have no tolerance for criminals who seize upon this public health crisis as an opportunity to prey on anxious Missourians,” Garrison said. “I am therefore making it a priority to investigate and prosecute those who try to profit by selling bogus cures, soliciting fake donations, engaging in online or email phishing scams or engaging in any other fraud.”
Nationwide, there were more than 41,000 confirmed cases and 479 deaths as of Monday, according to a database maintained by Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there were more than 360,000 cases and 15,495 deaths.
Star reporter Mará Rose Williams contributed to this report.
