Kansas City COVID-19 news: JoCo Sheriff bucks vaccine policy, new cases and deaths
Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Kansas City area:
Johnson County Sheriff bucks vaccine policy
Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden is not requiring members of his office to comply with a new directive concerning county employees and the COVID-19 vaccine.
Johnson County leaders recently established a policy giving county employees the choice of either getting one of the widely available vaccines or routinely being tested for the virus. Similar policies have been put in place in Jackson County and Kansas City.
Detective Sgt. Jesse Valdez, a spokesman for the office, told The Star on Tuesday that Hayden “felt that employees can make that decision” on their own.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office oversees more than 450 sworn deputies and 125 civilian employees. As of Aug. 11, an estimated 46% of all Johnson County employees had reported being fully vaccinated.
KC cases dip, deaths rise
Over the past week, the total number of new COVID-19 cases across the Kansas City metropolitan area declined slightly while the tally of deaths grew substantially.
Another 4,730 cases were added over the past week in the region, which includes Kansas City along with Jackson, Clay, Platte, Johnson and Wyandotte counties. Compared to the week before, there were 5,145 new cases.
Meanwhile, there were 54 new deaths added compared to 38 the previous week and 29 the week before that. There have been 2,445 deaths resulting from COVID-19 across the Kansas City metro since the pandemic began.
Missouri public health agency announces boosters
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on Tuesday announced the approval of a third COVID-19 vaccine booster shot recommended for people with health conditions that have left them with compromised immune systems.
The state health department says those who meet certain criteria are eligible, including cancer patients and recent organ transplant patients. However, the state is following a federally recommended policy of offering the vaccine to people without proof of their existing health condition.
Last week, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Kansas vaccine providers could immediately begin administering a third dose.
The Star’s Bill Lukitsch, Katie Moore and Aaron Torres contributed to this report.
