COVID-19 news: Missouri’s death toll may be undercounted; courthouses expect changes
Missouri’s death toll from COVID-19 is likely worse than what has officially been reported, according to experts and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The assumption is based on “excess deaths” — an increase in deaths that wouldn’t be expected based on previous years’ death certificate data collected by the CDC.
As of April 18, Missouri had recorded 291 “excess deaths.” More than 162 were caused by the coronavirus. The remainder are believed to be related to the pandemic.
“I think these are cases where it was just not known that the person had COVID-19,” said Bob Anderson, chief of mortality statistics with the National Center for Health Statistics, which is a branch of the CDC. “Somebody dies at home and there’s nobody there who can say ‘This is what the person’s symptoms were like’ and there’s no postmortem testing.”
Rex Archer, director of the Kansas City Health Department, said he suspects that has happened in the Kansas City area.
“We should be testing every unexplained death right now to determine whether it’s COVID,” Archer said.
Another portion of the deaths were an indirect result of the health crisis.
“This might be somebody who is having heart problems, but can’t get into the ER or is afraid to go to the ER,” Anderson said.
COVID-19-related changes coming to Jackson County courthouses
Planning on entering one of Jackson County’s courthouses? You better take a mask along with you.
When the county’s courthouses open up for business next Monday, it will be a requirement that all employees and members of the public wear masks.
Also required will be temperature checks to see if those entering the building have a fever, which is one of the symptoms of COVID-19.
Those are just two of the changes that emerged Monday on the gradual reopening Jackson County and its courthouses — the courthouse in downtown Kansas City, Independence annex and the former courthouse on Independence Square.
Marriage licenses will only be available at the Historic Truman Courthouse in downtown Independence.
The county is spending $150,000 to sanitize surfaces in the courthouses as well as up to $100,000 to install see-through, acrylic partitions and other materials to separate employees from the public.
Dispensers of hand sanitizer will be set out for public use and sheriff’s deputies assigned to the buildings will enforce social distancing requirements, when necessary.
“We’re not going to open like business as usual,” County Administrator Troy Schulte. It could be six months before operations return to anything approaching normal.
Jury trials have been suspended until July.
Kansas legislators look to limit legal liability over COVID-19
The Kansas legislators are preparing to shield the healthcare industry and possibly the business community from legal liability relating to COVID-19 lawsuits.
Lawmakers and lobbyists are crafting liability protections for the Legislature to pass when it reconvenes next week for a single day.
One draft bill from the Kansas Chamber of Commerce would prohibit lawsuits over injuries from exposure to COVID-19 if an individual doesn’t test positive or tested positive while they were asymptomatic. This would set a high threshold for coronavirus lawsuits and provide substantial legal cover for businesses.
The measure would also prohibit individuals from suing if they didn’t require inpatient hospitalization or suffer serious illness or death. Property owners couldn’t be sued unless they “willfully or maliciously” failed to guard or warn against infection risks.
The push is part of a nationwide effort to limit lawsuits stemming form the pandemic. Missouri lawmakers advanced their own bill last week.
Lansing prison staff member dies of COVID-19
A Lansing Correctional Facility staff member has died from the coronavirus, a Kansas Department of Corrections official confirmed Tuesday.
The staff member is the fourth person connected to the prison to die from the virus, according to Department of Corrections data. Three inmates have also died during the outbreak.
The prison is the site of the Kansas prison system’s largest outbreak of COVID-19. As of Monday, 694 inmates have tested postiived for the disease. The vast majority, 598, of the inmates showed now symptoms.
At least 88 staff members have been infected with the virus. Around half of them have returned to work.
KC Streetcar to adjust service level, hours as downtown reopens
The KC Streetcar announced Tuesday that it will slowly add service and extend hours as businesses reopen in downtown Kansas City.
Beginning Monday, KC Streetcar will operate during the following hours:
Monday through Friday, two streetcars will operate 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a third streetcar added between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Saturday, two streetcars will operate 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a third streetcar added between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, two streetcars will operate between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“We look forward to supporting Kansas City’s recovery,” said Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority. “This near-term service expansion will support businesses coming back online and provide riders more options and more space as they are making their travel choices.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 12:58 PM.
