Coronavirus news: Wyandotte County’s cases increase; holiday traditions are disrupted
As a dozen more new coronavirus cases were reported in Wyandotte County, churchgoers across the metro are finding other ways to worship on Palm Sunday, the Passover and Easter.
The additional cases brought Wyandotte County’s total to 161, up from 149, on Saturday, according to local health officials. That’s an increase of more than 8 percent.
As of Sunday, 42 patients have been hospitalized with COVID-19. Six people have died from the disease.
Of 141 people using the health department’s self-reporting form, 52 were identified as likely being infected with the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, in Johnson County, officials confirmed 13 more cases of COVID-19, bringing the county total to 185.
In Kansas, 699 coronavirus cases have been identified, including a Ford County patient labeled an out-of-state case and not included in the Kansas Department of Health and Environment total.
Lansing inmate has coronavirus
A Kansas inmate has tested positive for the coronavirus at the Lansing Correctional Facility, the first apparent instance of COVID-19 within the inmate population, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Staffing at the prison, the state’s largest, has been changed because of an increase in absences.
About 40 of Lansing’s 310 frontline uniformed officers are out for reasons related to the virus, including those who are at risk due to medical conditions, those caring for children out of school or family members who require care or are under observation, as well as those who are sick themselves, according to an agency spokesman.
KDOC first announced three cases of the virus among prison staff on Tuesday. Representatives of public defenders, criminal defense attorneys and the Midwest Innocence Project sent a joint letter to Kelly asking her to consider releasing certain inmates to protect them from the virus.
COVID-19 disrupts Easter, Passover traditions
Across Kansas City, churchgoers are making plans to see their pastors on Facebook Live or tune into nationally syndicated personalities on TV to celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter.
The shutdowns prompted by COVID-19 have changed how long-standing holiday traditions will be observed. There will be no large gatherings for Easter brunch. Only immediate family will be present at the Seder feast, which is held on the first night of Passover on Wednesday.
“It’s going to be really weird not doing it together in person,” 32-year-old Sarah Haas said. “But we’ll try to make do.”
The go-to-guy for Kansas during COVID-19 crisis
Three weeks ago, Lee Norman was a well-regarded but little-known secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. But COVID-19 has turned the 67-year-old physician and former Air Force flight surgeon into must-watch pandemic TV for the state of Kansas and the Kansas City metro.
Norman tries to bring facts and reassurance to a jittery public, much like Dr. Antony Fauci, who has become a national figure for his White House Briefings.
Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of viewers turn into Norman’s regular live-streamed briefings from Topeka, which offer no-nonsense advice and the latest case and death counts. The briefings usually have with some hopeful development, such as an advance in testing capacity.
“I have told my constituents that he is the credible source for all information on the virus and that all roads point to Dr. Lee Norman,” said Kansas Sen. Julia Lynn, an Olathe Republican. “Obviously, we have Fauci on the national level, but on the state level he is our guy.”
After years of planning for a disaster like this, is Kansas City ready?
For years, Kansas City-area emergency planners have been preparing for the worst — a mass casualty event, be it from a terrorist attack, natural disaster or a pandemic.
That planning is about to be put to the test as the city waits to learn just how many people will become sick enough to require hospitalization. Despite regional cooperation, some leaders worry that leadership may be lacking.
Michael Curry, Jackson County emergency preparedness director, said local officials are about as prepared as they can be for this unprecedented crisis.
“We handle everything from terrorism to tornadoes,” he said. “The only thing you can do is prepare for a disaster. Most of the time you don’t manage a disaster.”
But despite constant communication, Curry said coordination isn’t always easy.
“We’ve got too many cooks stirring the pot,” he said.
This story was originally published April 5, 2020 at 1:43 PM.
