COVID-19 update: More cases in Wyandotte, Johnson counties; KC nurse dies from virus
Both Wyandotte and Johnson counties reported an increase in the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus, but neither county had any new COVID-19 deaths, according to statistics released Thursday morning by local health officials.
The number of people testing positive for the coronavirus in Wyandotte County grew to 485, up 4 cases from Thursday, according to local health officials. Another 10 people are considered probable cases, but have not been tested.
The number of people who have died from COVID-19 remained unchanged at 47. Twenty-eight patients remained hospitalized, down one from Wednesday, according to the data. Meanwhile, 102 people have recovered from the disease, local health officials said.
In Johnson County, the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus grew to 402, up eight cases from Wednesday, according to local health officials. Another 24 people are considered probable cases.
The number of COVID-19 deaths remained at 36, according to the data. There currently are 53 COVID-19 patients hospitalized with another 27 hospital patients under investigation.
There has been 128 people who have received inpatient treatment and 239 who have received outpatient treatment. Meanwhile, 49 patients have received ICU care, according to the data.
The county has conducted 4,315 tests with 3,913 of them returning negative. That has resulted in a positive rate of 9.3%.
Meanwhile across Kansas, the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus jumped to 2,482 cases, up 271 from Wednesday, according to data released Thursday morning. That breaks a day-old record for biggest increase.
The number of deaths increased to 112, up two from the day before.
State health officials said they anticipate seeing an increase the number of COVID-19 cases in the next several days for areas in western Kansas due to new testing strategies that have been implemented.
The state has conducted 21,318 tests with 18,836 of them returning negative.
KC Symphony cancels rest of season
There will be no Celebration at the Station this May as the Kansas City Symphony announced on Thursday that it was canceling the remaining performances this season.
The symphony canceled the concerts citing ongoing concerns over the coronavirus.
The canceled performances included the widely popular Bank of America Celebration at the Station, which was set for May 24 in front of Union Station.
This would have been the 18th year for the free Memorial Day weekend concert, which typically draws around 50,000 people.
“While we cannot be together in person, we will be together in spirit,” Danny Beckley, the symphony’s executive director, said in a statement. “The power of music is more important now than ever, and all of us at the Kansas City Symphony will continue to find ways to share our music with you during this time.”
The nonprofit is asking people to return and donate the value of their tickets to canceled events as a tax-deductible contribution.
Several Kansas City arts organizations have done the same, and many, including Starlight Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the Unicorn Theatre and MTH Theater, are asking patrons for donations to tide them over until performances can resume.
Truman Medical Centers to continue testing next week
Truman Medical Centers announced Thursday that it will continue its community COVID-19 testing next week.
People looking to be tested need to call 816-404-CARE (2273) to speak with a nurse before arriving.
The testing time and locations are:
▪ 8 to 11 a.m. April 28 at Northeast High School’s parking lot, 415 Van Brunt Blvd..
▪ 1 to 4 p.m. April 29 at Guadalupe Center Elementary School’s parking lot, 5123 E. Truman Road.
▪ 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 1 at the Friendship Baptist Church’s parking lot, 3530 Chelsea Drive.
The COVID Station and Clinic will remain open at our Health Sciences District at 2301 Holmes Road and Lakewood at 7900 Lee’s Summit Road.
People seeking to be tested do not need to be a patient of Truman Medical Centers to be eligible for testing.
Nurse at Research Medical Center dies from coronavirus
A longtime Research Medical Center nurse who died this week was killed by the coronavirus after caring for an infected patient, nurses union officials said.
Celia Yap Bango, who had been a nurse at Research for about 40 years and was scheduled to retire next week, died Tuesday night, according to the National Nurses United Union.
“It is difficult to put into words what Celia means to our hospital and to the countless number of patients she cared for,” said Ashley McClellan, CEO of Research Medical Center, in a written statement.
“Celia was beloved by everyone who knew her. Her impact on the nursing profession and to those she worked with will be everlasting due to the mentorship, training, support and guidance she provided our colleagues.”
Bango became ill about a month ago after caring for an infected patient at the hospital, according to the union, which earlier this month voiced concerns over a lack of preparation and protection in the pandemic. She died at home Tuesday night.
“Celia was an amazing nurse that dedicated her service for countless years at Research and a dear friend to all of us,” said co-worker Charlene Carter in a statement through the union. “I feel that I can speak for many nurses when I say that the loss of one of our dear fallen soldiers on the front line of this pandemic is more than devastating, it is a wake-up call.”
A candlelight vigil in memory of Banago is being organized by nurses from around the region. It is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday outside Research Medical Center, 2316 E. Meyer Blvd. The vigil will be recorded through Zoom.
Nurse’s plea for ‘Help’ spurred urgent response at Riverbend
An email with the simple subject line of “HELP” sent in early April reveals how bad and desperate things had gotten inside the Riverbend rehabilitation and nursing home in Kansas City, Kansas.
Just a week before the April 8th email, the facility had its first two COVID-19 cases.
“We now have 61 confirmed cases with 7 deaths,” a Riverbend nurse wrote in the email, which was sent to a former boss who works in public health. “Majority of clinical staff has quit, housekeeping department has quit . . . . Wyandotte County has not been helpful in assisting us with this. The Kansas Dept. of Health has not been able to help us. We are in a complete crisis.
“The residents are very very sick, and the death toll has just begun.”
Emails obtained by The Star through an open records request show that it wasn’t until the nurse’s email that county health officials had a full understanding of how dire the situation was and the toll it was taking on the overwhelmed staff.
Riverbend has the largest COVID-19 outbreak in Kansas. Twenty-seven people who tested positive for the virus have died, accounting for more than half of the deaths in Wyandotte County and nearly 25 percent of the state’s total.
As of Wednesday evening, 119 cases of the coronavirus were connected to the facility and eight residents were hospitalized. Of those cases, 25 have been staff.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 1:35 PM.
