COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in Missouri on Sept. 8

We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in Missouri and the Kansas City area. Check back for updates.

Nearly 1,700 new COVID cases reported

At least 643,183 people in Missouri have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 10,814 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.

Wednesday, officials reported an increase of 1,690 cases over the previous day.

There have been 10,973 positive COVID-19 cases over a seven-day period ending Sept. 5, with an average of 1,568 new cases per day, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services data show. In that same period, there were 37 coronavirus-related deaths.

On Wednesday, 154 new coronavirus-related deaths were added. The state health department doesn’t specify the dates on which newly reported deaths occurred.

At least 1,957 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday, the latest day hospitalizations were reported, including 562 patients being treated in intensive care units, health officials said.

As of Wednesday, 11.2% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.

Roughly 52% of Missouri’s total population have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 46% have been fully vaccinated.

Kansas officials reject limiting nurses’ extra pay to hospitals without vaccine rules

Kansas lawmakers and business leaders voted down a proposal Wednesday to prohibit nurses at hospitals with vaccine mandates from receiving extra pay amid the COVID-19 surge.

The Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) task force executive committee rejected a plan to stop hospitals with mandates from participating in an initiative that would provide up to $50 million in federal aid to thousands of nurses. Gov. Laura Kelly and top legislators approved allocating the funding last week but left SPARK to create rules for the program.

The panel remained uncertain Wednesday about other details for distributing the money. Questions included whether hospitals should have more flexibility in how they spend the funds and if aid should be tied to a facility’s profitability. The committee — comprised of state officials and business leaders — decided to give the business members until Friday to develop a proposal.

Johnson County school district ‘discriminatory’ in its COVID rules, lawyers say

A Johnson County law firm has sent a cease and desist letter to Gardner Edgerton schools, demanding that the district amend COVID-19 protocols it claims are discriminatory and violate Kansas law.

The letter claims the district’s enforcement of quarantine and mask policies discriminates against unvaccinated and unmasked students.

The Olathe firm Kriegshauser Ney Law Group gave the school district until 5 p.m. Friday to respond. The letter, sent Tuesday by attorney Ryan Kriegshauser, could be a precursor to a civil lawsuit.

Man handcuffed after mask fight at school board meeting

Cass County sheriff’s deputies cited three people and handcuffed one man after an altercation following a tense Pleasant Hill school board meeting about masks Tuesday, the Kansas City Star reported.

“There was an altercation between a couple of people out front of the school with a lady saying that she’d been harassed or assaulted by somebody else,” sheriff’s office spokesman Maj. Kevin Tieman said. “She said they took her cell phone away from her.”

According to the sheriff’s office, the woman began recording another group of people and a man took her phone. That man was handcuffed.

The school board voted in favor of requiring masks in schools.

‘A grim milestone’: University of Kansas Health System surpasses 500 deaths

The University of Kansas Health System said it “observed a grim milestone” Tuesday when it released the latest update on COVID-19 numbers for the system.

Three patients died of COVID Monday, bringing the total to 503 since the pandemic began. Thirteen people died in less than a week.

Steve Stites, chief medical officer, noted in the health system’s regular daily update that the hospital’s numbers for COVID-19 patients on Labor Day this year were much higher than a year ago.

Kansas City area adds over 3,400 COVID-19 cases in past 7 days

The Kansas City metropolitan area added 3,421 new COVID-19 cases and 37 deaths in the past week.

On Tuesday, the area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas gained 843 new cases for a total of 184,778 to date.

The seven-day rolling average for daily cases sits at 489, according to data tracked by The Star. One week ago, the average was 624. Two weeks ago, it was 657.

Black families that turned to homeschooling in pandemic staying with it

For years, Cal Brown wanted to try homeschooling, and now her family doesn’t see themselves going back to brick-and-mortar schooling any time soon.

“My kids are scared to death of COVID-19, so right now, it’s not even a conversation for them,” she said, explaining that they lost two family members already.

It’s a conclusion that Black families throughout Missouri have come to as well. Missouri has seen an incredible rise in the number of Black families who chose to homeschool when the pandemic began, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.

Are KC-area police vaccinated? Most departments don’t check

Though police officers frequently come into contact with members of the public, most departments in the Kansas City area don’t track how many of their officers have been vaccinated, and many do not require vaccination, the Kansas City Star reports.

The Kansas City Police Department, the largest department surveyed, told the Star that it doesn’t keep current data on COVID-19 infections or vaccinations. Additionally, there is no routine testing.

Of the seven departments that responded to questions, only the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department said it requires its officers to be vaccinated, and only three departments track the number of vaccinated staff.

Despite a lack of vaccine requirements, 72% of police in Overland Park, Kansas, have gotten COVID-19 shots, compared to 51% of the community they serve.

Undergrads returning to college feel hope, concern

Thousands of undergrads are heading back to campuses in Missouri and Kansas after COVID-19 derailed many academically, mentally and emotionally.

Some are feeling hopeful, others concerned and uncertain, but most agree the last 18 months have changed them, the Kansas City Star reported.

“It’s almost like this is my first day of college again,” one student, who plans on graduating in December, said.

There’s a feeling among many students that they’ve been robbed of some of the best experiences of their young lives.

“There’s a kind of sadness ... and an honest sense of loss,” a University of Kansas professor said.

A sentiment echoed at the University of Missouri: “College is about relationships and socializing with your peers and with your professors and with staff members,” an MU administrator said. “All of that was tremendously impacted. … I think we’re all mourning the loss of what we enjoy about college and the college experience.”

Despite the hurt, most are determined to make the best of their remaining months or years in school and hope campuses don’t have to close again.

COVID rules for college students to know in Missouri, Kansas

Campus COVID-19 policies aren’t the same as they were during the previous fall semester.

So for students in Lawrence, Kansas, or in Columbia, Missouri, wondering what to do if they’ve been exposed to the virus, what the rules are regarding masks, or what restrictions to expect on campus and more, the Kansas City Star has put together a guide to answer those queries and concerns.

COVID cases increase 1,100% among KC children

From June to August, COVID-19 cases grew 1,100% among children under 12 years old in Kansas City, the Kansas City Star reported.

According to the city health department, 606 children tested positive for the coronavirus in August.

Dr. Angela Myers, infectious diseases division director at Children’s Mercy hospital, warned that children are not impervious to serious COVID-related complications, adding that, nationally, over 450 children have died due to the virus since the pandemic began.

“That’s more than what we would typically see from influenza,” she said. “So I don’t want people to become complacent now about this virus. This is still very widespread in our community and it’s far more contagious than previous versions of the infection.”

This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 7:09 AM.