COVID-19 updates: Overland Park police officer dies, businesses hesitate on vaccine rule
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Kansas City COVID-19 news
As the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus surges across the Kansas City region, officials, hospitals and communities have had to react. Here is our latest coverage.
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Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Kansas City area:
Overland Park police officer dies
Freddie Castro, a 23-year-old Overland Park police officer, died Tuesday afternoon of COVID-19 at North Kansas City Hospital after he spent weeks there with the severe illness, police officials and family said.
Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez shared the news outside the hospital, where many fellow officers were gathered, saying the department is mourning the loss of “a bright young man” with a great future ahead of him.
“He always has a smile on his face, because he loved what he was doing,” the chief said, speaking to reporters Tuesday night. “He loved being a police officer. He couldn’t wait to be one, he loved being one, and it just breaks my heart to have to come and tell you that (Castro) has passed today at the young age of 23.”
He was unvaccinated, a spokesman with the police department said. The department has a 70% vaccination rate among officers and staff.
Local businesses wary of vaccine mandate: survey
Most Kansas City area businesses are hesitant to implement vaccine mandates for their employees, according to a survey conducted by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
Nearly 15% of businesses say they are instituting vaccine mandates for employees. About 85% of businesses have no such requirement.
A total of 184 Kansas City area businesses and organizations responded to the KC Chamber’s latest COVID-19 survey. Respondents represented large and small businesses and nonprofits from a variety of industries.
Metro averages 9 deaths per day
The Kansas City metropolitan area is recording an average of nine deaths from COVID-19 every day, the highest rate in more than six months.
In the past seven days, the metro added 64 COVID-19 deaths, raising the total since the pandemic began to 2,558.
On Tuesday, the area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas gained 690 new cases for a total of 181,357 to date.
KU Health to employees: Get vaccinated by Dec. 1
The University of Kansas Health System on Wednesday joined two other hospital systems in Kansas City in mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for employees.
Truman Medical Centers/University Health announced its employee mandate in late July. Saint Luke’s Health System announced a similar requirement on Monday.
They are taking the lead in a metro where most area businesses are hesitant to implement vaccine mandates for their employees, according to a new survey from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
The Star’s Bill Lukitsch, Farrah Mina and Katie Moore contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 7:24 AM.
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