COVID-19 news: Overland Park officer hospitalized; quarantine for some Chiefs fans
Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Kansas City area:
Unvaccinated Kansans should quarantine after attending Chiefs game at Arrowhead: KDHE
Unvaccinated Kansas residents who attend the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason game at Arrowhead Stadium Friday night should quarantine afterward.
That’s according to the state’s travel rules as the delta variant of COVID-19 continues to surge and fill hospitals in the Kansas City region.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment advises anyone unvaccinated attending mass gathering to spend 7 days in quarantine if they get a negative COVID-19 test result, and 10 days if no test is taken. Those who have been vaccinated are advised to quarantine if they become symptomatic after traveling.
‘Asking for prayers’: 23-year-old Overland Park police officer hospitalized with COVID
A 23-year-old Overland Park police officer is critically ill with COVID-19, police officials said Friday.
Freddie Castro, who has been with the Overland Park Police Department since March 2019, tested positive for COVID-19 and has been hospitalized for at least a month, said Officer John Lacy, police spokesman.
“Freddie is a wonderful officer and has a bright future with the Overland Park Police Department,” Lacy said Friday. “We know that Freddie is a fighter. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”
Kansas man dies after waiting for ICU transfer as hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19
A McPherson man died Sunday after waiting for a hospital bed with specialized care to become available as health care centers face a surge of COVID-19 patients.
Rob Van Pelt went into McPherson Hospital Tuesday for a routine procedure, but his heart unexpectedly stopped, his wife Somer Van Pelt posted on social media. He was airlifted to a Wichita hospital where he was intubated. He was having unexplained brain seizure activity. Doctors advised he needed to go to another hospital that had a neurological intensive care unit.
Hospital staff searched for a place that could take him.
Former anti-mask school board candidate drops out
Pediatrician and Blue Valley school board candidate Christine White — who had campaigned for months against COVID-19 safety protocols before saying her views against masks had changed — announced Thursday night that she is dropping out of the race.
“I plan to focus my time and energy on my family, my medical practice, and educating patients and their families about how to limit their exposure to COVID-19,” she posted on Facebook.
White, a physician with Johnson County Pediatrics, had posted in May that, “masks should be optional for children come fall of 2021. Both inside and out.” But she later changed her stance, saying she supported masks if they could help prevent interruptions to in-person school.
She was later accused of pandering to both sides as some district parents are fiercely divided over the issue.
Infusion treatment available to some
Truman Medical Centers/University Health has started offering free COVID-19 treatments to eligible metro residents as part of Missouri’s effort to prevent people from being hospitalized, and dying of the virus.
On Wednesday, the health care system began giving infusions of monoclonal antibodies to people with mild to moderate COVID symptoms who are high-risk — which includes anyone 65 or older and people with chronic health problems. Residents do not have to live in Missouri to be eligible.
Four infusions were given Wednesday and more came on Thursday as Truman officials spread the word to local hospitals that the treatment is now available.
WyCo updates safety guidelines
Wyandotte County has updated its recommendations regarding social gatherings, for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, released the new guidance for social gatherings — indoor and outdoor — on Thursday. The recommendations for vaccinated individuals are different from those of unvaccinated people.
Recommendations for those with the vaccine include limiting outdoor gatherings to 25 people, limiting indoor gatherings to 10 people and wear masks in certain situations. Everyone else is advised to wear a mask when in public situations and not host people outside the household.
Missouri announces first winners of vaccine lottery
On Wednesday, Gov. Mike Parson announced the winners in the first round of the Missouri Vaccine Incentive Program.
Out of the 180 winners that were selected, 17 came from District 5, which makes up most of the Kansas City metro area. The 17 winners each won $10,000 after getting their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. One person from Independence won a scholarship.
The Star’s Lisa Gutierrez, Bill Lukitsch, Aaron Torres and Sarah Ritter contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 7:30 AM.
