COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in Missouri on Sept. 10

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.

Over 2,500 new COVID cases reported

At least 647,335 people in Missouri have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 10,861 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.

On Friday, officials reported an increase of 2,544 cases over the previous day.

There have been 10,156 positive COVID-19 cases over a seven-day period ending Sept. 7, with an average of 1,451 new cases per day, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services data show. In that same period, there were 60 coronavirus-related deaths.

At least 2,033 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, the latest day hospitalizations were reported, including 562 patients being treated in intensive care units, health officials said.

As of Friday, 11.3% 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.

Jackson County files court petition for permanent closure of cafe defying mask order

Jackson County officials filed court motions on Friday seeking the permanent closure of a Blue Springs cafe that has for weeks defied the county’s mask order, accusing its owner of “endangering the health, safety, and welfare of the community.”

Rae’s Cafe and owner Amanda Wohletz, the lawsuit alleges, are openly and directly failing to comply with the order aimed to curb the spread of COVID-19 through the community. Without court intervention, the cafe will continue to operate with flagrant disregard for the rules, county leaders contend.

The county also sought a temporary restraining order that would impose sanctions on anyone who tries to keep the business operating in violation of the public health order. It was swiftly granted by a Jackson County judge on Friday afternoon.

Missouri Chamber decries Biden’s vaccine mandate

In July, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry launched a statewide campaign urging employers to increase vaccination rates among workers.

Identifying vaccines as the path out of the coronavirus pandemic and into a full economic recovery, the chamber’s COVID Stops Here program began to recognize businesses that record high levels of vaccination.

But even as it encourages shots, the chamber decried President Joe Biden’s plans to require workers at companies with more than 100 employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine or submit to weekly testing.

Millions must be vaccinated under Biden plan. Who will be included in Kansas City?

Thousands of employees in the Kansas City area will have to be vaccinated under a new plan announced Thursday by President Joe Biden.

The mandate includes all federal workers and contractors, and private employers with 100 or more workers. COVID-19 vaccination will be required or employees must be tested weekly. About 80 million people fall under the plan’s scope.

“We’ve been patient,” Biden said at the White House. “But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us.”

The vaccine plan will impact employees across the metro area.

Several federal agencies have offices in Kansas City, including the U.S. General Services Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Reserve, Social Security and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There are also federal courthouses in Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas.

Some of the largest private companies here with more than 100 employees include Cerner, Garmin, Hallmark, Honeywell, H&R Block, and Burns & McDonnell.

Kansas City area school district drops COVID mask rule

The Raymore-Peculiar school board fell one vote short when deciding whether to keep its mask mandate Thursday night. Masks will now be optional.

The board voted 4-1 to continue mandating masks, but officials said the motion needed a super majority to pass, per state law, and two board members were absent. Board members Ruth Johnson, Kim York, Aaron Howlett and Deanna Olson voted in favor of keeping the district’s COVID-19 protocols in place. Paul Coffman was the only “no” vote.

The district had been set to start the school year with no mask mandate. But Superintendent Mike Slagle warned that many individuals were already required to quarantine during back-to-school activities. So last month, the school board decided to require masks, and to regularly revisit the decision, as it did Thursday night.

Kansas, Missouri attorneys general signal lawsuits likely against Biden vaccine push

Republican attorneys general in Kansas and Missouri are setting the stage for lawsuits against President Joe Biden’s vaccination push, all but announcing they will challenge the White House initiative.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Friday that important health care decisions should be left to individuals. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said “we must fight back” after Biden rolled out his plan, which would require businesses with more than 100 employees to either ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or regularly test employees

“President Biden yesterday scolded ‘this is not about freedom,’ but the rule of law most certainly is,” Schmidt said in a statement. “If the president’s overreaching rhetoric becomes federal action, then rest assured we will vigorously challenge it.”

MO school district may cancel bus routes due to shortages

The Raytown school district is warning parents that it may have to do away with busing due to a shortage of bus drivers, caused in part by qualified potential workers who are worried about COVID-19.

The district says it is “taking every possible action” to avoid losing bus routes, but “may have to temporarily cancel routes as staffing shortages are increasingly impacting our ability to effectively run routes at our current capacity.”

Raytown’s woes can be seen across the country, The Kansas City Star reported. In a recent nationwide survey, over half of student transportation coordinators who responded described the bus driver shortages in their area as “severe” or “desperate.”

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.

This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 7:06 AM.