KANSAS CITY, Mo — Health experts in the Kansas City area are battling the clock, as well as the coronavirus delta variant.

Hospitals in the area are reporting higher case numbers of the delta variant among the younger population, especially those in the 20 to 35 age group.

This is why the Kansas City Health Department held a “Back to School” immunization and COVID-19 vaccination event on Saturday, at Smith-Hale Middle School.

“We gotta get serious about getting folks vaccinated here over the next few weeks,” Frank Thompson, deputy director of Kansas City Health Department said. “School starts in four weeks.”

Thompson said it’s the department’s goal to keep students in classrooms this year after missing more than a year of in-person instruction.

In order for that to happen, Thompson said getting more people vaccinated is key. With the 12 and under population not eligible for the vaccine right now, it is that much more important for staff to get the shot as well.

The health department is in a rush to vaccinate those younger than 39 years old, not only with the first day of class drawing near, but also as more younger people are testing positive for the delta variant.

“They’re seeing those individuals come in sicker than they had seen earlier on in the pandemic,” Thompson said. “Our over 65 population, we’ve gotten more than 80% of them vaccinated. They did what they needed to do to protect themselves. Now it’s time for the younger generation to follow suit.”

Thompson said there is a list of personal reasons as to why people are choosing to opt out of getting vaccinated. Some are vaccine resistant, some are taking a “wait and see” approach and others are just frightened by the misinformation online.

However, Thompson is hopeful vaccination-school immunization events like this where people can find information and convenience, will help break down some of those barriers.

“Our goal in combining both was to make this COVID vaccination as convenient as possible for those that are eligible,” Thompson said.

Michael Shaw, a father who attended Saturday’s event, appreciated the accessibility and convenience of it. He has two daughters on opposite ends of the gym.

“My daughter got the Pfizer vaccine and my other daughter got her immunizations,” Shaw said.

According to city data, only 37% of Kansas Citians are fully vaccinated, while 44% have gotten their first dose.

Thompson said while many are nervous about a new vaccine, the chances of being hospitalized is seven to eight times higher than experiencing adverse effects from the vaccine.

Additionally, KCMO has vaccinated over 180,000 people and over 160 million people have been vaccinated nationwide. Thompson said the side effects have been minimal.

“We held out for a while, because we were a little nervous,” mother Victoria Anderson said. “It was better to get it than to play Russian roulette and actually catch COVID, especially when I thought about the Delta variant and my kids ending up at the hospital. It was a no brainer.

Anderson is relieved her 12-year-old daughter, Saniya McCain, just made the cut and got her vaccine too.

“It was just, like, comforting to know that I won’t have to get anybody sick and I have less of a risk,” McCain said.

For 16-year-old Elijah Henderson, he hopes his new layer of protection will bring a sense of normalcy and allow him to return to things he loves most.

“Going to school full time, seeing all my friends that I haven’t seen in like a year and a half, sporting events with the fans,” Henderson said. “Just face to face contact with people.”

Thompson said the Food and Drug Administration will announce in two months whether or not the Pfizer vaccine has been granted full approval.

This would mean it would no longer be only for emergency use, and institutions like schools and companies will be able to legally make it mandatory.

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This week Kansas city hot talk takes a backseat to the resurgence of the plague and so many health officials scrambling to offer solutions whilst knowing that the public has grown increasingly frustrated by more than a year of warnings.

Description . . .

“Nick Haines talks to Wyandotte Health Director Juliann Van Liew, Johnson County Health Director Dr. Sanmi Areola and Kansas City Health Director Rex Archer about the new surge in COVID-19 cases and the race to get more people vaccinated.”

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KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) — The local surge of COVID cases and hospitalizations prompted a joint health advisory issued Friday from 11 health departments on both sides of the state line, encouraging vaccination and masks for those who haven’t had the vaccine — and distancing even for those who have.

The guidance came from the health departments, with input from local hospitals’ chief medical officers. The mask recommendation is just for those unvaccinated and those who are vaccinated but have existing health problems known as co-morbidities. All the recommendations are just that, not mandates.

“We are not at the point of looking at requiring people to wear masks,” said Frank Thompson, the deputy director of the Kansas City Health Department.

At Mike’s Wine and Spirits in Westport, the owner said the past mandates were confusing because they varied by city, county and state, so he was glad to see a joint announcement covering the entire region. As for masks, he is focused on what he can control.

Ever since Kansas City lifted its mask mandate, customers at Mike’s are free to go bare faced and most do.

“It’s hard for us to mandate a thousand customers coming in on a Friday when the city isn’t mandating,” explained owner Andy Doohan.

But he didn’t lift the mandate for staff, vendors and sales reps, saying at the time that things have changed so much with this virus that he wanted to see how things go. The partitions at checkout never went down and the staff never stopped masking up even though Doohan says they’re all vaccinated.

“Until this thing is really stamped out, our family feels like there’s not really a logical reason for our staff not to wear masks,” Doohan said.

He said in some stores, the staff gets some flack about it, but the customers we met had nothing but respect for the move.

“It doesn’t really bother me.,” said Jessica Franzen. “Obviously with the past year and what we’ve been through, I respect people’s choices.”

“Honestly I think it’s good. I think everybody should,” said Steven Morrill.

He didn’t wear one for his quick beer run, because, he said, he’s fully vaccinated. But he said sometimes he still does.

“I work at a smoke shop, and with customers constantly coming in, working with money, I’m wearing one. Just because, you never know,” Morrill said.

One hospital’s chief medical officer says the end of mask mandates is partly to blame for the recent rise in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

“I think it’s the rise of the delta variant combined with the removal of mask mandates and social distancing,” posited Dr. Steven Stites, the chief medical officer for the KU Health System.

He notes that hospitalized COVID patients at KU Hospital number in the 30s. On June 1, it was two. The city’s mask mandate ended on May 28. But he doesn’t see local advisories turning into mandates any time soon.

“I don’t think anyone is ready to do that yet. I don’t think there’s the political nor the social willpower to it yet, but I think at some point, we could get faced with that if we end up like Springfield,” Stites added.

Data from the Mid-America Regional Council that includes area counties on both sides of the state line show hospitalizations began to rise steadily since June 8. The daily average of new hospitalizations then was 39. It is now 77.

COVID hospitalizations in KC metro have been steadily rising since early June. Graph courtesy of MARC.

The message from the 11 local health departments was partly about masks for the unvaccinated, but mostly about the value of getting the vaccine. The guidance itself isn’t much different from what it was six weeks ago,

“It’s really an attempt to bring this to the forefront,” explained Thompson. “We just wanted to dispel that myth, [to send the message] that COVID is not over, we still have an active pandemic going on.”

One customer at Mike’s was quick to echo the vaccine message. He had COVID in November and became what’s known as a long hauler.

“It wasn’t until two weeks ago I started feeling normal again. I would have headaches, high blood pressure, spent a lot of money going to the doctor,” said Vincent Lister. “I just don’t want anybody to go through what I went through.”

The regional advisory included the following health departments:

• Cass County, MO
• Clay County, MO
• Independence, MO
• Jackson County, MO
• Johnson County, KS
• Kansas City, MO
• Leavenworth County, KS
• Miami County, KS
• Platte County, MO
• Ray County, MO
• Wyandotte County, KS

Key guidelines are below. You can find the full document here.

-Get fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

• Anyone 12 and older should seek vaccination immediately.

• Help protect children younger than 12 by ensuring the adults around them are vaccinated.

• Individuals who have initiated 2-dose vaccination should get their second dose to ensure maximum protection against all COVID-19 strains, including delta.

• Talk with your friends and family about the importance of getting vaccinated.

• If you have specific concerns about whether you should get the vaccine, consult your physician.

-Unvaccinated individuals should wear a mask while visiting indoor public places, in crowded outdoor settings, and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

• Be aware that people with underlying medical conditions may not be able to receive full protection from the vaccine and that children younger than 12 are not yet eligible for vaccination. These populations are vulnerable to being exposed to COVID-19.

-Both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents should exercise caution.

• Currently, only 40% of Missourians are fully vaccinated. Please assume that 1 in 2 people in any crowd or gathering may be unvaccinated. If you do not know the vaccination status of those around you, resume social distancing of at least 6 feet.

• If unvaccinated, being in crowds like restaurants, bars, fitness centers, or movie theaters puts you at a higher risk for COVID-19. Avoid indoor spaces that do not offer fresh air from the outdoors as much as possible.

• Additionally, continue practicing good hand hygiene by washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds.

-Stay home if you’re sick.

• Seek testing if you develop or have any symptoms of COVID-19, including mild symptoms similar to a cold or allergies.

-Individuals with underlying medical conditions should get fully vaccinated as soon as possible and wear masks when around persons of unknown vaccination status.

• The following conditions are associated with increased risk of death from COVID-19:

o Age above 65, organ transplant recipient, cancer, diabetes, obesity, chronic heart/lung/kidney/neurologic conditions, rheumatologic conditions such as Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, use of immunosuppressive medications, AIDS, and other immunosuppressive conditions or neurological diseases.

• Having more than one of these conditions may significantly increase the risk of hospitalization or death. For more information, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention halted the state’s plan to implement an incentive program to encourage vaccinations.

“The CDC didn’t accept our plan, which is just totally ridiculous that they would turn us down with Missouri in the situation we’re in right now. So, I think it’s just another obvious problem with the CDC,” Parson told the Springfield News-Leader.

Only 45.8% of Missourians have initiated vaccination, which is 10 percentage points below the national average.

‘We’re in trouble Kansas City’: Doctors say COVID-19 comeback threatens metro

Parson’s spokeswoman, Kelli Jones, said Friday that the CDC wanted to limit funding incentives to $25 per vaccinated person, “and we do not feel this figure will be enough to significantly increase vaccine uptake in Missouri.” Jones said the governor was weighing “a variety of other potential options.”

The agency reviewed the plan and returned it to the state because it didn’t meet CDC’s guidelines for use of the specific federal funds the state wanted to draw from for this project, a CDC official said.

But CDC money isn’t the only way Missouri could fund a vaccine incentive program. Ohio, for example, used federal COVID relief money to pay for its $1 million lottery.

COVID-19 cases are rising sharply across Missouri. The state health department on Friday reported 1,834 newly confirmed cases and seven additional deaths.

On Friday, Kansas City health officials issued a new public health advisory, encouraging people to get vaccinated or put their masks back on indoors if they don’t.

“At this time, unvaccinated residents of all ages who have resumed normal activities without adequate protection are most at risk, particularly immune-compromised individuals,” the health departments said in a statement.

Kansas City area health leaders issue advisory, urging unvaccinated people to wear masks

Regardless of vaccination status, the KC area health agencies said everyone should exercise caution.

“Currently, only 40% of Missourians are fully vaccinated,” the advisory stated. “Please assume that 1 in 2 people in any crowd or gathering may be unvaccinated. If you do not know the vaccination status of those around you, resume social distancing of at least 6 feet.”

Hospitalizations continued to rise Friday as well, reaching 1,357, including 425 people who were in intensive care units. Nearly half of ICU patients — 203 — were in southwestern Missouri.

Parson said the state will “probably” provide funding for a site to help handle the overflow of COVID-19 patients in Springfield, where hospitals are struggling to keep up with a surge driven by the delta variant and vaccination hesitation.

The Republican governor suggested that federal stimulus money also could help pay for the alternative care site health leaders in the southwestern Missouri city requested. Parson, who was in Springfield on Thursday for an unrelated bill signing, told the News-Leader that the state will “for the most part probably” fulfill the request.

“We’re in the process of kind of going through that right now to see what we can deliver and what we can’t,” he said. “Those are things we’ve done before, so I think we’ll be able to do (the funding).”

CONTINUING COVERAGE: Tracking coronavirus in the Kansas City region

The fast-spreading delta variant has led to a surge in hospitalizations throughout southwestern Missouri. Springfield’s hospitals are already seeing patient counts topping the previous peak in mid-winter. As of Friday, 228 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized there. Three weeks ago, the daily average patient count was fewer than 120.

CoxHealth, which operates six hospitals in southwestern Missouri, was treating 170 patients at the winter peak of the virus, CEO Steve Edwards said in an interview. It has surpassed that now, and Edwards expects at least 240 daily COVID-19 patients within two weeks — if there’s room.

There’s a difference this time around compared to January.

“Younger, sicker, quicker is the way I characterize it,” Edwards said. “We have many, many younger patients. Pediatric patients hospitalized. Many in their 20s. A good number of pregnant women that we’ve had to do emergency C-sections to save the baby and to save mom.”

Katie Towns, the interim director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said the alternative care site would provide transitional care for patients stabilized enough to be released from hospitals. She told The Associated Press that options include places such as dorms and hotels. Such makeshift treatment areas were common in Missouri and throughout the country during the winter.

State officials issue hotspot advisory in Southwest Missouri due to rising COVID-19 cases

Parson told the News-Leader that some of the cost of setting up the site could be covered by federal stimulus money provided to Springfield and Greene County for pandemic relief.

“There’s a lot of federal funding on the local level, so there may be ways we can partner with the counties and the cities and the hospitals, and they’ll be able to do their part, you know, to come in and help with that,” Parson said.

COVID-19 cases are rising sharply across Missouri. The state health department on Friday reported 1,834 newly confirmed cases and seven additional deaths. Hospitalizations continued to rise, reaching 1,357, including 425 people who were in intensive care units. Nearly half of ICU patients — 203 — were in southwestern Missouri.

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Normal life was snatched from Sarah Hemmings a year before it was from everyone else. In early 2019, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that can interfere with the brain and spinal cord, making everyday tasks difficult.

Then the pandemic struck.

Taking treatment for MS and caring with her husband for two young children, Hemmings stepped back from a job teaching at a local primary school and almost never left the house. She is now one of 3.8m people across the UK deemed clinically extremely vulnerable to Covid-19, advised until recently to “shield” from the outside world.

The government hopes the effectiveness and high take-up of vaccines will protect them once most of England’s legal restrictions are removed next week, although it says that people like Hemmings should consider going to the shops at “quieter times of the day”.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, meanwhile, has suggested administering variant-targeting booster shots to the group from September.

Yet given the UK is reporting more than 42,000 daily infections, up 50 per cent from a fortnight ago, the prospect of dropping the remaining coronavirus rules fills Hemmings with a mix of anger and apprehension.

“The guidance is appalling,” she says over the phone from the family home in Norfolk. “There are hand sanitizer pumps all over the place but Covid is an airborne virus.”

Hemmings worries most about the lifting of the requirement to wear masks in public places. Although double-jabbed and considered relatively safe by the government since it ended shielding advice on April 1, a recent test showed she hasn’t developed antibodies. Going for a coffee with friends or visiting a busy shop will once again feel too risky.

“They don’t sound like much, but those freedoms are a huge part of your world when you’re stuck at home,” says Hemmings. “Masks should absolutely be kept, and proper ventilation should be spoken about far more.

“[The clinically vulnerable] have been forgotten,” she adds. Politicians say everybody should “learn to live with Covid deaths” but “I feel like they’re talking about me. It’s really unsettling.”

Hemmings finds it hard to believe that a group of millions can be “ignored” so easily, claiming that prime minister Boris Johnson and health secretary Sajid Javid are “naive” about the risks coronavirus still poses.

“We’re a diverse group”, she says. “There are clinically vulnerable people with all sorts of conditions, jobs, all sorts of unique situations, but the guidance doesn’t take any of that into account.”

She has put off her plan to apply for another teaching job in September and, with another period of isolation looming, she is unsure what the future holds.

“On ‘freedom day’ I’ll be having pre-treatment tests and a few days afterwards I’ll be having an immunosuppressant infusion,” she says. “So fearful is probably the main emotion for the next phase.”

This is the 11th article in a series for the blog that explores the effects of the pandemic on people and businesses around the world

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Leaders with the Kansas City, Missouri Public Health Department are expected to release a new recommendation suggesting the usage of face coverings again, amid rapidly growing coronavirus case numbers across the state.City sources tell KMBC 9’s Micheal Mahoney that health officials will issue the recommendation for face masks, even for vaccinated individuals, starting Monday. More information is expected to be released by the city Friday afternoon. This recommendation is expected to follow a similar health advisory issued by Independence, Missouri Public Health officials last week.It is merely an advisory or recommendation, not an order or mandate as seen earlier in the pandemic. Missouri leads the nation in new COVID-19 cases per capita thanks to the fast-spreading Delta variant that’s taken hold across southern Missouri. Case numbers continue to surge in those areas, and public health officials say it’s only a matter of time before the variant takes hold in major metropolitan areas like Kansas City and St. Louis. Wastewater testing shows the variant is already beginning to spread in Kansas City. Wastewater testing showed the delta variant was responsible for 100 percent of all coronavirus cases in Independence as of last week, prompting health officials to issue their own advisory. Meanwhile in Springfield, Missouri, hospital officials are looking at establishing an “alternative care site” as hospitals struggle under the weight of rising COVID-19 admissions. As of Thursday, 230 people with coronavirus were hospitalized in Springfield alone, with hospitals in St. Louis and Kansas City being asked to make room for patients in need. The Missouri Hospital Association, in its weekly COVID-19 update, called the situation in southwestern Missouri “dire” and said signals for the rest of Missouri are “foreboding.” Statewide, hospitalizations are up 112% from late May lows, though still far below the winter peak of nearly 3,000 according to The Associated Press. Ashley Kimberling Casad, vice president of clinical services at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, said hospitals in the Cox system expect to exceed the winter peak of patients by next week. Among the current patients are 11 people under age 30, something that was rare in the winter.The hospital association offered an ominous warning.“If the rest of the state follows current trajectories — with delta systematically picking off localized pockets of unvaccinated Missourians — our entire health care system will be very near the brink it flirted with during the winter of 2020-21,” the update stated.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

Leaders with the Kansas City, Missouri Public Health Department are expected to release a new recommendation suggesting the usage of face coverings again, amid rapidly growing coronavirus case numbers across the state.

City sources tell KMBC 9’s Micheal Mahoney that health officials will issue the recommendation for face masks, even for vaccinated individuals, starting Monday.

More information is expected to be released by the city Friday afternoon.

This recommendation is expected to follow a similar health advisory issued by Independence, Missouri Public Health officials last week.

It is merely an advisory or recommendation, not an order or mandate as seen earlier in the pandemic.

Missouri leads the nation in new COVID-19 cases per capita thanks to the fast-spreading Delta variant that’s taken hold across southern Missouri.

Case numbers continue to surge in those areas, and public health officials say it’s only a matter of time before the variant takes hold in major metropolitan areas like Kansas City and St. Louis. Wastewater testing shows the variant is already beginning to spread in Kansas City.

Wastewater testing showed the delta variant was responsible for 100 percent of all coronavirus cases in Independence as of last week, prompting health officials to issue their own advisory.

Meanwhile in Springfield, Missouri, hospital officials are looking at establishing an “alternative care site” as hospitals struggle under the weight of rising COVID-19 admissions. As of Thursday, 230 people with coronavirus were hospitalized in Springfield alone, with hospitals in St. Louis and Kansas City being asked to make room for patients in need.

The Missouri Hospital Association, in its weekly COVID-19 update, called the situation in southwestern Missouri “dire” and said signals for the rest of Missouri are “foreboding.” Statewide, hospitalizations are up 112% from late May lows, though still far below the winter peak of nearly 3,000 according to The Associated Press.

Ashley Kimberling Casad, vice president of clinical services at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, said hospitals in the Cox system expect to exceed the winter peak of patients by next week. Among the current patients are 11 people under age 30, something that was rare in the winter.

The hospital association offered an ominous warning.

“If the rest of the state follows current trajectories — with delta systematically picking off localized pockets of unvaccinated Missourians — our entire health care system will be very near the brink it flirted with during the winter of 2020-21,” the update stated.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Public health officials say new recommendations are expected to be released Monday encouraging people to put their masks back on.

The health department says there have been more than 800 new COVID-19 cases in Kansas City since July 1.
That’s more than the city recorded in the entire month of June.

The Kansas City council Thursday passed a resolution pushing the health department to be more aggressive in responding to the Delta variant surge with more vaccination opportunities, like one being staged at Smith-Hale Middle School in the Hickman Mills school district on Saturday.

And although no one wants to require mask mandates anytime soon, regional public health officials on Monday are expected to make new recommendations to resume mask wearing in public.

“There are a lot of people who are going to be resistant to wearing their masks again in public,” Frank Thompson, deputy director of Kansas City’s public health department, said. “But I would just share this: Right now our hospitals are seeing a surge in terms of cases and the capacity in our ICU units is being challenged.”

Thompson says 99 percent of the people in intensive care units with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

Kansas City is focusing its prevention efforts on the Troost – Prospect corridor where vaccination rates remain low, comparable if not worse than hotspots like Springfield, Missouri.

‘COVID Stops Here’: Missouri rolls out new designation to help sell vaccination message

The walk-in clinic at the school Saturday will have all three vaccines available at no cost.
Other childhood immunizations also will be given.

Parents should bring their kids’ immunizations records.

The health department says children will be sent home from school unless they are up-to-date on their other required vaccinations.

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Here are the latest COVID-19 updates around the Kansas City metro area, and in Kansas and Missouri.What you need to know:The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Monday the state has 322,264 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and there have been 5,196 deaths since the outbreak started. Overall, the state said 45% of the population has been vaccinated with at least one dose and 39.6% have completed vaccination. Kansas only updates its case totals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Thursday there have been 540,189 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak and 9,445 deaths. Overall, the state said 45.7% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.9% have completed vaccination.THURSDAY5 p.m. — Families in the Hickman Mills and Center school districts are encouraged to set aside some time on Saturday, July 17, to get their children vaccinated and ready to return to school.The Kansas City Health Department’s vaccine team will be at Smith Hale Middle School, 9010-A Old Santa Fe Road, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., providing regular vaccinations to children entering kindergarten and older grades, as well as COVID-19 vaccinations for children 12 years and older.2 p.m. — Missouri’s health department on Thursday reported the highest daily count of new COVID-19 cases since the dead of winter, and the association representing the state’s hospital is warning that the health care system is potentially on the brink of a crisis.The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services cited 2,302 newly confirmed cases of the virus, the largest one-day count since mid-January, as the delta variant continues to spread in a state with one of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates. Hospitalizations ticked up statewide by 47 to 1,331, as did the number of patients in intensive care units, rising by 19 to 409.Nearly half of the ICU patients – 196 – are hospitalized in southwestern Missouri. Greene County and Springfield leaders are asking the state to fund an alternative care site since hospitals in Springfield are near capacity.The Missouri Hospital Association, in its weekly COVID-19 update, called the situation in southwestern Missouri “dire” and said signals for the rest of Missouri are “foreboding.” Statewide, hospitalizations are up 112% from late May lows, though still far below the winter peak of nearly 3,000.But at least one hospital, Mercy Springfield, was reporting pandemic high numbers of hospitalizations. Erik Frederick, the hospital’s chief administrative officer, wrote on Twitter Thursday that there had been 16 deaths so far this week. Ashley Kimberling Casad, vice president of clinical services at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, said the hospital was less equipped to handle a surge now. One reason is that it has fewer traveling nurses and is finding it harder to hire them. Also, summer is a busy time for elective surgeries.The hospital association said hospitalizations in southwestern Missouri could exceed winter highs within days.“If the rest of the state follows current trajectories – with delta systematically picking off localized pockets of unvaccinated Missourians – our entire health care system will be very near the brink it flirted with during the winter of 2020-2021,” the update stated.A spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Mike Parson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Parson said last week that hospitals weren’t overwhelmed and that the state was “not in a crisis mode.”Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told McClatchy Newspapers in an interview published Thursday in the Kansas City Star that Missouri is the most worrisome place in the U.S. right now.“This is a variant, this delta variant, that’s highly contagious. And so as it starts to spread, anybody who’s not vaccinated is in a danger zone. … The chances of getting infected in Missouri are getting really high and that means potentially serious illness or even death,” Collins said.12:15 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has amended its travel quarantine list to include the countries of the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Fiji, Jersey, The United Kingdom and Tunisia. The countries of Brazil, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Maldives, Oman, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname and Uruguay have been removed. These changes are effective today, July 15.A comprehensive list of those individuals needing to quarantine includes visitors and Kansans who have:Traveled on or after July 15 to British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Fiji, Jersey, The United Kingdom or Tunisia. Traveled on or after July 1 to Namibia. Traveled on or after June 17 to Kuwait or Mongolia. Traveled on or after June 3 to Traveled on or after May 6 to Seychelles. Traveled on or after April 22 to Argentina. Traveled between July 1 and July 15 to Brazil, Oman or Saint Kitts and Nevis. Traveled between June 3 and July 15 to Suriname. Traveled between May 20 and July 15 to Costa Rica or French Guiana. Traveled between May 6 and July 15 to Maldives. Traveled between April 8 and July 15 to Uruguay. Attendance at any out-of-state mass gatherings of 500 or more where individuals do not socially distance (6 feet) and wear a mask. Been on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15, 2020.The travel quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on Day 8 and Day 11, respectively. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s website.10:30 a.m. — KMBC 9’s Micheal Mahoney talked to Dr. Francis Collins, the National Institute of Health Director, about the COVID-19 spike in Missouri.10 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 540,189 on Thursday, which is an increase of 2,302 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 100,0072 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 2,009 cases.That’s the highest increase in confirmed daily cases since Jan. 14.The state reported there have been 8,375 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 1,196 cases a day.The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro, and hospitals in the metro are close to capacity.The state said there have now been 9,463 (+8) deaths since the start of the outbreak.There are 20% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state increased to 13.1%, according to the MDHSS. That number is the highest since it was at 12.7% on Jan. 13.While that number has climbed more than nine percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 5,081,003 vaccine doses, 2,803,468 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,451,561 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.7% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.9% have completed vaccination.An estimated 44% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 42.1%, Clay County is at 35.4%, Cass County is at 35.9% and Platte County is at 30.7%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,924 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,530 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,773 cases in Clay County, 8,174 in Cass County and 3,457 in Platte County.9 a.m. — Doctors with the University of Kansas Health System say cases and hospitalizations continue to rise and the situation is “fairly concerning.” As of Thursday, there are 37 active cases with nine patients in the ICU, four on a ventilator and 31 of the active cases were not vaccinated.8:30 a.m. — Political leaders in St. Louis and St. Louis County have stepped up their efforts to get people vaccinated amid growing concern that the delta variant of COVID-19 ravaging some rural areas of Missouri is making its way to the state’s most populated region.St. Louis County Executive Sam Page on Wednesday announced the “Sleeves Up STL” initiative, which seeks to enlist beauty salons and barbershops in the northern part of the county to provide vaccine information to customers and encourage them to get inoculated.Meanwhile, St. Louis’ Board of Aldermen on Tuesday endorsed a plan to offer gift cards as an enticement to get vaccinated.The fast spread of the delta variant has led to a spike in new cases and hospitalizations in parts of northern and southwestern Missouri. Page said St. Louis County officials have “grave concerns about the impact it could have here.”He said salons and barbershops are popular gathering places and that he’s hopeful the outreach in northern St. Louis County, where many Black residents live, will lead to more vaccinations. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that Black residents are far less likely to get vaccinated than white residents.In the city of St. Louis, where nearly half of the approximate 300,000 residents are Black, only 40.5% of residents have received at least one vaccine dose. Statewide, 45.5% of residents have received at least an initial shot, which significantly trails the national rate of 55.6%.St. Louis aldermen backed a plan that would offer prepaid debit cards worth up to $100 to people who get shots. The funding will come from nearly $500 million in federal funding the city will get for pandemic relief.The plan also would provide one-time $500 payments to 10,000 residents who have been affected by the pandemic. The funding proposal now goes to the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, which is the city’s fiscal body.Democratic Mayor Tishaura Jones has not said if she will support the aldermanic version of the funding measure.New cases have been surging in southwestern Missouri. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department on Wednesday asked the state to help fund a COVID-19 alternative care site at a yet-to-be determined site. It said 231 patients were being treated for the virus in hospitals in Greene County, including 104 who were receiving critical care and 61 who were on ventilators. The alternative care site would provide staffing for transitional care for COVID-19 patients.State health department data shows that 1,284 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday. That’s still well below the nearly 3,000 who were hospitalized during the state’s peak period in December, but it’s double the number from mid-May. The 390 people in intensive care units is three times more than in early April.The state on Wednesday reported 1,460 newly confirmed cases of of COVID-19 and 15 more deaths from the disease, pushing its pandemic totals to 537,887 confirmed cases and 9,455 deaths.8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is having technical difficulties with its COVID-19 dashboard, and the state says it will be back up and running by midday Thursday.[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]WEDNESDAY1:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 1,155 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since Monday, pushing the statewide total to 322,264 since the outbreak started.KDHE reported eight new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,196. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 56 to 11,295 since the start of the outbreak.The state also said it is tracking 103 (+9) cases of the delta variant in Johnson County, 55 (+4) in Wyandotte County, 11 (+1) in Leavenworth County, seven (+1) in Douglas County and three (+1) in Miami County.State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 17 cases.The overall monthly positivity is at 7.4% for July 2021 to date. However, that number is down from a high of 16.5% in November.The state also said it has vaccinated 1,310,617 people, 2,383,407 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 45% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose and 39.6% have completed vaccination.[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 60,901 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 58,494. Wyandotte County is third with 21,413 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,497 cases, Douglas County reports 9,049 and Miami County has 2,878.Health officials said they’re now monitoring 51 (+6) outbreak clusters, up from 45 earlier this month. A total of 382 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 18 hospitalizations and five deaths.9:30 a.m. — Local health experts say they’re worried that COVID-19 hotspots are starting to encroach on Kansas City. Doctors with the University of Kansas Health System say the numbers show not enough people are being vaccinated. and the spread of the delta variant now adds another layer of concern.”That continues to be infectious, even in areas where we see a higher vaccination rate like Jackson County or Johnson County,” Dr. Steve Stites said. “And then it starts crowding hospitals, which is where I’m, we’re all a little bit nervous because we don’t want to see what’s happening in Springfield happen in Kansas City.”As pressure on hospitals grows, doctors urge you to get vaccinated– if you haven’t yet – to protect yourself and others from the virus.KU doctors said they are treating 39 total COVID-19 patients, 29 of which are listed as active. Eight of those patients are in the ICU, two are on a ventilator and 10 are in recovery. Of the active patients, doctors said six were vaccinated.8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 537,887 on Wednesday, which is an increase of 1,460 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 98,063 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 1,429 cases.The state reported there have been 6,804 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 972 cases a day.The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.The state said there have now been 9,455 (+5) deaths since the start of the outbreak.There are 21% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state increased slightly to 12.4%, according to the MDHSS. That number is the highest since it was at 12.7% on Jan. 13.While that number has climbed more than eight percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 5,067,685 vaccine doses, 2,795,069 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,445,757 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.4% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.8% have completed vaccination.An estimated 43.9% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 42%, Clay County is at 35.4%, Cass County is at 35.7% and Platte County is at 30.6%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,785 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,409 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,742 cases in Clay County, 8,133 in Cass County and 3,445 in Platte County.[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]TUESDAY5:30 p.m. — Rising COVID-19 rates in other states have prompted Chicago to restart a travel order. The Chicago Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that unvaccinated travelers from Missouri and Arkansas have to either quarantine for 10 days or have a negative COVID-19 test. READ MORE11 a.m. — The city of Springfield, Missouri, announced Monday that it was canceling a major summer festival as COVID-19 surges in the region. The Birthplace of Route 66 Festival, which was scheduled for Aug. 13-14 and typically includes live music and a classic car parade, has been called off for the second year in a row due to COVID-19. In 2019, the last year the festival was held, it drew 65,000 attendees over two days, and it was expected to host 75,000 this year, according to the city. READ MORE8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 536,427 on Tuesday, which is an increase of 1,627 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 98,063 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 649 cases.The state reported there have been 6,331 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 904 cases a day.Missouri continues leads the nation in the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks.The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.The state said there have now been 9,440 (+52) deaths since the start of the outbreak. The state reported 47 of the new death reports came from further analysis of death certificates.There are 19% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state dropped slightly to 12.2%, according to the MDHSS.While that number has climbed more than eight percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 5,056,125 vaccine doses, 2,787,444 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,441,218 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.4% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.8% have completed vaccination.An estimated 43.8% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 41.9%, Clay County is at 35.3%, Cass County is at 35.7% and Platte County is at 30.6%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,682 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,350 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,728 cases in Clay County, 8,108 in Cass County and 3,436 in Platte County.[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]MONDAY3:15 p.m. — Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine may pose a “small possible risk” of a rare but potentially dangerous neurological reaction, U.S. health officials said Monday.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement it has received reports of 100 people who got the shot developing Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune system disorder that can cause muscle weakness and occasionally paralysis. READ MORE1:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 672 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since last Friday, pushing the statewide total to 321,109 since the outbreak started.KDHE reported 12 new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,188. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 22 to 11,239 since the start of the outbreak.The state also said it is tracking 94 cases of the delta variant in Johnson County, 51 in Wyandotte County, 10 in Leavenworth County, six in Douglas County and two in Miami County.State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 17 cases.The overall monthly positivity is at 7.1% for July 2021 to date – which is a spike of 4% from the last update. However, that number is down from a high of 16.5% in November.The state also said it has vaccinated 1,307,288 people, 2,376,825 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 44.9% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose and 39.5% have completed vaccination.[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 60,597 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 58,381. Wyandotte County is third with 21,312 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,442 cases, Douglas County reports 9,040 and Miami County has 2,867.Health officials said they’re now monitoring 45 outbreak clusters, up from 26 earlier this month. A total of 298 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 21 hospitalizations and seven deaths.11:30 a.m. — Kansas and Missouri are getting more federal money to fight COVID-19.10:30 a.m. — A Springfield, Missouri hospital on Sunday announced it opened its sixth COVID-19 ward as the delta virus variant rages in the state’s southwest region. That’s the most virus wards Mercy Hospital in Springfield has had. Chief Administrative Officer Erik Frederick tweeted that the hospital needed at most five COVID-19 wards last year. The hospital was treating 133 virus patients as of Sunday. “Many local rural communities don’t have high vaccination rates,” Frederick wrote. “They also don’t have a hospital. Get sick, come to Springfield. I think that’s getting left out of the narrative.”9:15 a.m. — As coronavirus case numbers grow, the University of Kansas system is starting to fill up again.Doctors and nurses are treating 39 patients for COVID-19, and 26 are considered active inpatients, with nine people in the ICU and 10 on ventilators.Doctors say seven of the 39 patients are vaccinated, and two of them are in the ICU. Doctors say they’re working to get more information on their health histories and backgrounds.”Remember, out of 39 people, 32 have not been vaccinated,” Dr. Steve Stites said. “But we just want to make sure that we’ve got all the right advice that we can for folks who are being vaccinated and especially if you have other illnesses that accompany that “Doctors recommend people with underlying health conditions should keep taking safety precautions, even if they’ve been vaccinated.8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 534,800 on Monday, which is an increase of 154 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 98,063 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 17 cases.The state reported there have been 5,834 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 833 cases a day.Missouri continues leads the nation in the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks.The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.The state said there have now been 9,388 (+1) deaths since the start of the outbreak. There are 17% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state dropped slightly to 12.3%, according to the MDHSS.While that number has climbed more than eight percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 5,048,186 vaccine doses, 2,782,295 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,437,868 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.3% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.7% have completed vaccination.As of Saturday, an estimated 43.7% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 41.8%, Clay County is at 35.2%, Cass County is at 35.6% and Platte County is at 30.5%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,594 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,245 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,712 cases in Clay County, 8,083 in Cass County and 3,424 in Platte County. [ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]SUNDAY8 p.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 534,646 on Sunday, which is an increase of 809 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 98,046 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 280 cases.The state reported there have been 6,121 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 874 cases a day.Missouri continues leads the nation in the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks.The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.The state said there have now been 9,387 (+0) deaths since the start of the outbreak. There are 19% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state rose again to 12.5%, according to the MDHSS – the highest it’s been since January 13. While that number has climbed more than eight percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state’s vaccination dashboard was not updated Sunday. On Saturday, the state said it has administered 5,023,913 vaccine doses, 2,766,600 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,428,241 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.1% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.6% have completed vaccination.As od Saturday, an estimated 43.5% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 41.6%, Clay County is at 35%, Cass County is at 35.4% and Platte County is at 30.4%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,579 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,235 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,711 cases in Clay County, 8,084 in Cass County and 3,423 in Platte County. [ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]SATURDAY8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 533,837 on Saturday, which is an increase of 167 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 97,766 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 472 cases.The state reported there have been 5,794 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 828 cases a day.Missouri continues leads the nation in the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks.The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.The state said there have now been 9,387 (+4) deaths since the start of the outbreak. There are 19% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state fell slightly to 12.1%, according to the MDHSS. While that number has climbed more than eight percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 5,023,913 vaccine doses, 2,766,600 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,428,241 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.1% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.6% have completed vaccination.An estimated 43.5% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 41.6%, Clay County is at 35%, Cass County is at 35.4% and Platte County is at 30.4%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,545 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,197 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,704 cases in Clay County, 8,079 in Cass County and 3,417 in Platte County.[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]FRIDAY4:15 p.m. — The city of Independence issued a public health advisory Friday afternoon, saying COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are climbing across the Kansas City metro and the state of Missouri because of the delta variant.The city said in a news release that the population most at risk are those who have not been vaccinated, particularly children under the age of 12. READ MORE.1:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 851 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since Wednesday, pushing the statewide total to 320,437 since the outbreak started.KDHE reported nine new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,176. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 31 to 11,217 since the start of the outbreak.State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 17 cases.The overall monthly positivity is at 3.1% for July 2021 to date. While showing small increases since the start of the month, that number is down from a high of 16.5% in November.The state also said it has vaccinated 1,303,088 people, 2,369,166 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 44.7% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose and 39.4% have completed vaccination.[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 60,467 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 58,294. Wyandotte County is third with 21,240 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,420 cases, Douglas County reports 9,034 and Miami County has 2,853.Health officials said they’re now monitoring 45 outbreak clusters, up from 26 earlier this month. A total of 298 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 21 hospitalizations and seven deaths.10:30 a.m. — Vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday in relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines.The changes come amid a national vaccination campaign in which children as young as 12 are eligible to get shots, as well as a general decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. READ MORE10:10 a.m. — Missouri State Epidemiologist George Turabbelidze says the Delta COVID outbreak will last a few more weeks in Missouri. 8:30 a.m. — Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System said Friday the facility is treating 35total coronavirus patients, 20 of which are considered to have active infections. One of those patients has been moved onto a ventilator. The other 15 patients are considered to be in the recovery phase.8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 533,670 on Friday, which is an increase of 1,544 confirmed cases – the third consecutive day reporting more than 1,000 new cases. The state also reported there have been 97,294 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 616 cases.The state reported there have been 5,468 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 781 cases a day.Missouri continues leads the nation in the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks.The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.The state said there have now been 9,383 (+6) deaths since the start of the outbreak. There are 21% of remaining ICU beds available and 72% of ventilators available, the state said.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state fell slightly to 11.9%, according to the MDHSS. While that number has climbed more than seven percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 5,023,913 vaccine doses, 2,766,600 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,428,241 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.1% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.6% have completed vaccination.An estimated 43.5% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 41.6%, Clay County is at 35%, Cass County is at 35.4% and Platte County is at 30.4%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,490 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,148 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,684 cases in Clay County, 8,059 in Cass County and 3,415 in Platte County.[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Here are the latest COVID-19 updates around the Kansas City metro area, and in Kansas and Missouri.

What you need to know:

• The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Monday the state has 322,264 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and there have been 5,196 deaths since the outbreak started. Overall, the state said 45% of the population has been vaccinated with at least one dose and 39.6% have completed vaccination. Kansas only updates its case totals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
• The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Thursday there have been 540,189 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak and 9,445 deaths. Overall, the state said 45.7% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.9% have completed vaccination.

THURSDAY

5 p.m. — Families in the Hickman Mills and Center school districts are encouraged to set aside some time on Saturday, July 17, to get their children vaccinated and ready to return to school.

The Kansas City Health Department’s vaccine team will be at Smith Hale Middle School, 9010-A Old Santa Fe Road, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., providing regular vaccinations to children entering kindergarten and older grades, as well as COVID-19 vaccinations for children 12 years and older.

2 p.m. — Missouri’s health department on Thursday reported the highest daily count of new COVID-19 cases since the dead of winter, and the association representing the state’s hospital is warning that the health care system is potentially on the brink of a crisis.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services cited 2,302 newly confirmed cases of the virus, the largest one-day count since mid-January, as the delta variant continues to spread in a state with one of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates. Hospitalizations ticked up statewide by 47 to 1,331, as did the number of patients in intensive care units, rising by 19 to 409.

Nearly half of the ICU patients – 196 – are hospitalized in southwestern Missouri. Greene County and Springfield leaders are asking the state to fund an alternative care site since hospitals in Springfield are near capacity.

The Missouri Hospital Association, in its weekly COVID-19 update, called the situation in southwestern Missouri “dire” and said signals for the rest of Missouri are “foreboding.” Statewide, hospitalizations are up 112% from late May lows, though still far below the winter peak of nearly 3,000.

But at least one hospital, Mercy Springfield, was reporting pandemic high numbers of hospitalizations. Erik Frederick, the hospital’s chief administrative officer, wrote on Twitter Thursday that there had been 16 deaths so far this week.

Ashley Kimberling Casad, vice president of clinical services at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, said the hospital was less equipped to handle a surge now. One reason is that it has fewer traveling nurses and is finding it harder to hire them. Also, summer is a busy time for elective surgeries.

The hospital association said hospitalizations in southwestern Missouri could exceed winter highs within days.

“If the rest of the state follows current trajectories – with delta systematically picking off localized pockets of unvaccinated Missourians – our entire health care system will be very near the brink it flirted with during the winter of 2020-2021,” the update stated.

A spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Mike Parson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Parson said last week that hospitals weren’t overwhelmed and that the state was “not in a crisis mode.”

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told McClatchy Newspapers in an interview published Thursday in the Kansas City Star that Missouri is the most worrisome place in the U.S. right now.

“This is a variant, this delta variant, that’s highly contagious. And so as it starts to spread, anybody who’s not vaccinated is in a danger zone. … The chances of getting infected in Missouri are getting really high and that means potentially serious illness or even death,” Collins said.

12:15 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has amended its travel quarantine list to include the countries of the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Fiji, Jersey, The United Kingdom and Tunisia. The countries of Brazil, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Maldives, Oman, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname and Uruguay have been removed. These changes are effective today, July 15.

A comprehensive list of those individuals needing to quarantine includes visitors and Kansans who have:

• Traveled on or after July 15 to British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Fiji, Jersey, The United Kingdom or Tunisia.
• Traveled on or after July 1 to Namibia.
• Traveled on or after June 17 to Kuwait or Mongolia.
• Traveled on or after June 3 to
• Traveled on or after May 6 to Seychelles.
• Traveled on or after April 22 to Argentina.
• Traveled between July 1 and July 15 to Brazil, Oman or Saint Kitts and Nevis.
• Traveled between June 3 and July 15 to Suriname.
• Traveled between May 20 and July 15 to Costa Rica or French Guiana.
• Traveled between May 6 and July 15 to Maldives.
• Traveled between April 8 and July 15 to Uruguay.
• Attendance at any out-of-state mass gatherings of 500 or more where individuals do not socially distance (6 feet) and wear a mask.
• Been on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15, 2020.

The travel quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on Day 8 and Day 11, respectively. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s website.

10:30 a.m. — KMBC 9’s Micheal Mahoney talked to Dr. Francis Collins, the National Institute of Health Director, about the COVID-19 spike in Missouri.

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National Institute of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins urges unvaccinated Missourians to hurry and get the shots due to the growing Delta COVID caseload in Missouri, “because there’s going to be a lot of trouble coming in the next few weeks”. @NIHDirector @kmbc pic.twitter.com/1JP1wETEeC

— Micheal Mahoney (@KCMikeMahoney) July 15, 2021

10 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 540,189 on Thursday, which is an increase of 2,302 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 100,0072 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 2,009 cases.

That’s the highest increase in confirmed daily cases since Jan. 14.

The state reported there have been 8,375 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 1,196 cases a day.

The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.

That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro, and hospitals in the metro are close to capacity.

The state said there have now been 9,463 (+8) deaths since the start of the outbreak.

There are 20% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.

The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state increased to 13.1%, according to the MDHSS. That number is the highest since it was at 12.7% on Jan. 13.

While that number has climbed more than nine percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.

The state said it has administered 5,081,003 vaccine doses, 2,803,468 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,451,561 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.7% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.9% have completed vaccination.

An estimated 44% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 42.1%, Clay County is at 35.4%, Cass County is at 35.9% and Platte County is at 30.7%.

[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]

Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.

Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,924 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,530 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,773 cases in Clay County, 8,174 in Cass County and 3,457 in Platte County.

9 a.m. — Doctors with the University of Kansas Health System say cases and hospitalizations continue to rise and the situation is “fairly concerning.” As of Thursday, there are 37 active cases with nine patients in the ICU, four on a ventilator and 31 of the active cases were not vaccinated.

8:30 a.m. — Political leaders in St. Louis and St. Louis County have stepped up their efforts to get people vaccinated amid growing concern that the delta variant of COVID-19 ravaging some rural areas of Missouri is making its way to the state’s most populated region.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page on Wednesday announced the “Sleeves Up STL” initiative, which seeks to enlist beauty salons and barbershops in the northern part of the county to provide vaccine information to customers and encourage them to get inoculated.

Meanwhile, St. Louis’ Board of Aldermen on Tuesday endorsed a plan to offer gift cards as an enticement to get vaccinated.

The fast spread of the delta variant has led to a spike in new cases and hospitalizations in parts of northern and southwestern Missouri. Page said St. Louis County officials have “grave concerns about the impact it could have here.”

He said salons and barbershops are popular gathering places and that he’s hopeful the outreach in northern St. Louis County, where many Black residents live, will lead to more vaccinations. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that Black residents are far less likely to get vaccinated than white residents.

In the city of St. Louis, where nearly half of the approximate 300,000 residents are Black, only 40.5% of residents have received at least one vaccine dose. Statewide, 45.5% of residents have received at least an initial shot, which significantly trails the national rate of 55.6%.

St. Louis aldermen backed a plan that would offer prepaid debit cards worth up to $100 to people who get shots. The funding will come from nearly $500 million in federal funding the city will get for pandemic relief.

The plan also would provide one-time $500 payments to 10,000 residents who have been affected by the pandemic. The funding proposal now goes to the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, which is the city’s fiscal body.

Democratic Mayor Tishaura Jones has not said if she will support the aldermanic version of the funding measure.

New cases have been surging in southwestern Missouri. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department on Wednesday asked the state to help fund a COVID-19 alternative care site at a yet-to-be determined site. It said 231 patients were being treated for the virus in hospitals in Greene County, including 104 who were receiving critical care and 61 who were on ventilators. The alternative care site would provide staffing for transitional care for COVID-19 patients.

State health department data shows that 1,284 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday. That’s still well below the nearly 3,000 who were hospitalized during the state’s peak period in December, but it’s double the number from mid-May. The 390 people in intensive care units is three times more than in early April.

The state on Wednesday reported 1,460 newly confirmed cases of of COVID-19 and 15 more deaths from the disease, pushing its pandemic totals to 537,887 confirmed cases and 9,455 deaths.

8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is having technical difficulties with its COVID-19 dashboard, and the state says it will be back up and running by midday Thursday.

[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]

WEDNESDAY
1:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 1,155 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since Monday, pushing the statewide total to 322,264 since the outbreak started.

KDHE reported eight new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,196. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 56 to 11,295 since the start of the outbreak.

The state also said it is tracking 103 (+9) cases of the delta variant in Johnson County, 55 (+4) in Wyandotte County, 11 (+1) in Leavenworth County, seven (+1) in Douglas County and three (+1) in Miami County.

State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 17 cases.

The overall monthly positivity is at 7.4% for July 2021 to date. However, that number is down from a high of 16.5% in November.

The state also said it has vaccinated 1,310,617 people, 2,383,407 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 45% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose and 39.6% have completed vaccination.

[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]

Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 60,901 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 58,494. Wyandotte County is third with 21,413 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,497 cases, Douglas County reports 9,049 and Miami County has 2,878.

Health officials said they’re now monitoring 51 (+6) outbreak clusters, up from 45 earlier this month. A total of 382 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 18 hospitalizations and five deaths.

9:30 a.m. — Local health experts say they’re worried that COVID-19 hotspots are starting to encroach on Kansas City.

Doctors with the University of Kansas Health System say the numbers show not enough people are being vaccinated. and the spread of the delta variant now adds another layer of concern.

“That continues to be infectious, even in areas where we see a higher vaccination rate like Jackson County or Johnson County,” Dr. Steve Stites said. “And then it starts crowding hospitals, which is where I’m, we’re all a little bit nervous because we don’t want to see what’s happening in Springfield happen in Kansas City.”

As pressure on hospitals grows, doctors urge you to get vaccinated– if you haven’t yet – to protect yourself and others from the virus.

KU doctors said they are treating 39 total COVID-19 patients, 29 of which are listed as active. Eight of those patients are in the ICU, two are on a ventilator and 10 are in recovery. Of the active patients, doctors said six were vaccinated.

8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 537,887 on Wednesday, which is an increase of 1,460 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 98,063 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 1,429 cases.

The state reported there have been 6,804 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 972 cases a day.

The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.

That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.

The state said there have now been 9,455 (+5) deaths since the start of the outbreak.

There are 21% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.

The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state increased slightly to 12.4%, according to the MDHSS. That number is the highest since it was at 12.7% on Jan. 13.

While that number has climbed more than eight percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

The state said it has administered 5,067,685 vaccine doses, 2,795,069 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,445,757 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.4% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.8% have completed vaccination.

An estimated 43.9% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 42%, Clay County is at 35.4%, Cass County is at 35.7% and Platte County is at 30.6%.

[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]

Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.

Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,785 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,409 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,742 cases in Clay County, 8,133 in Cass County and 3,445 in Platte County.

[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]

TUESDAY

5:30 p.m. — Rising COVID-19 rates in other states have prompted Chicago to restart a travel order. The Chicago Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that unvaccinated travelers from Missouri and Arkansas have to either quarantine for 10 days or have a negative COVID-19 test. READ MORE

11 a.m. — The city of Springfield, Missouri, announced Monday that it was canceling a major summer festival as COVID-19 surges in the region.

The Birthplace of Route 66 Festival, which was scheduled for Aug. 13-14 and typically includes live music and a classic car parade, has been called off for the second year in a row due to COVID-19. In 2019, the last year the festival was held, it drew 65,000 attendees over two days, and it was expected to host 75,000 this year, according to the city. READ MORE

8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 536,427 on Tuesday, which is an increase of 1,627 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 98,063 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 649 cases.

The state reported there have been 6,331 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 904 cases a day.

Missouri continues leads the nation in the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks.

The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.

The state said there have now been 9,440 (+52) deaths since the start of the outbreak. The state reported 47 of the new death reports came from further analysis of death certificates.

There are 19% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.

The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state dropped slightly to 12.2%, according to the MDHSS.

While that number has climbed more than eight percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.

The state said it has administered 5,056,125 vaccine doses, 2,787,444 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,441,218 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.4% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.8% have completed vaccination.

An estimated 43.8% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 41.9%, Clay County is at 35.3%, Cass County is at 35.7% and Platte County is at 30.6%.

[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]

Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.

Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,682 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,350 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,728 cases in Clay County, 8,108 in Cass County and 3,436 in Platte County.

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[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]

MONDAY
3:15 p.m. — Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine may pose a “small possible risk” of a rare but potentially dangerous neurological reaction, U.S. health officials said Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement it has received reports of 100 people who got the shot developing Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune system disorder that can cause muscle weakness and occasionally paralysis. READ MORE

1:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 672 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since last Friday, pushing the statewide total to 321,109 since the outbreak started.

KDHE reported 12 new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,188. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 22 to 11,239 since the start of the outbreak.

The state also said it is tracking 94 cases of the delta variant in Johnson County, 51 in Wyandotte County, 10 in Leavenworth County, six in Douglas County and two in Miami County.

State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 17 cases.

The overall monthly positivity is at 7.1% for July 2021 to date – which is a spike of 4% from the last update. However, that number is down from a high of 16.5% in November.

The state also said it has vaccinated 1,307,288 people, 2,376,825 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 44.9% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose and 39.5% have completed vaccination.

[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]

Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 60,597 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 58,381. Wyandotte County is third with 21,312 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,442 cases, Douglas County reports 9,040 and Miami County has 2,867.

Health officials said they’re now monitoring 45 outbreak clusters, up from 26 earlier this month. A total of 298 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 21 hospitalizations and seven deaths.

11:30 a.m. — Kansas and Missouri are getting more federal money to fight COVID-19.

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Federal Dept of Health & Human Services (HSS) awards Missouri $8.2 million to fight COVID in rural Missouri. Affects 32 rural Mo. Hospitals to test for COVID & support vaccination efforts. #MoCOVID @HSS @kmbc pic.twitter.com/2FfsU5aoJ2

— Micheal Mahoney (@KCMikeMahoney) July 12, 2021

10:30 a.m. — A Springfield, Missouri hospital on Sunday announced it opened its sixth COVID-19 ward as the delta virus variant rages in the state’s southwest region.

That’s the most virus wards Mercy Hospital in Springfield has had. Chief Administrative Officer Erik Frederick tweeted that the hospital needed at most five COVID-19 wards last year.

The hospital was treating 133 virus patients as of Sunday.

“Many local rural communities don’t have high vaccination rates,” Frederick wrote. “They also don’t have a hospital. Get sick, come to Springfield. I think that’s getting left out of the narrative.”

9:15 a.m. — As coronavirus case numbers grow, the University of Kansas system is starting to fill up again.

Doctors and nurses are treating 39 patients for COVID-19, and 26 are considered active inpatients, with nine people in the ICU and 10 on ventilators.

Doctors say seven of the 39 patients are vaccinated, and two of them are in the ICU. Doctors say they’re working to get more information on their health histories and backgrounds.

“Remember, out of 39 people, 32 have not been vaccinated,” Dr. Steve Stites said. “But we just want to make sure that we’ve got all the right advice that we can for folks who are being vaccinated and especially if you have other illnesses that accompany that “

Doctors recommend people with underlying health conditions should keep taking safety precautions, even if they’ve been vaccinated.

8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 534,800 on Monday, which is an increase of 154 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 98,063 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 17 cases.

The state reported there have been 5,834 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 833 cases a day.

Missouri continues leads the nation in the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks.

The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.

That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.

The state said there have now been 9,388 (+1) deaths since the start of the outbreak. There are 17% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.

The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state dropped slightly to 12.3%, according to the MDHSS.

While that number has climbed more than eight percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.

The state said it has administered 5,048,186 vaccine doses, 2,782,295 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,437,868 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.3% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.7% have completed vaccination.

As of Saturday, an estimated 43.7% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 41.8%, Clay County is at 35.2%, Cass County is at 35.6% and Platte County is at 30.5%.

[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]

Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.

Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,594 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,245 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,712 cases in Clay County, 8,083 in Cass County and 3,424 in Platte County.

[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]

SUNDAY
8 p.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 534,646 on Sunday, which is an increase of 809 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 98,046 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 280 cases.

The state reported there have been 6,121 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 874 cases a day.

Missouri continues leads the nation in the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks.

The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.

That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.

The state said there have now been 9,387 (+0) deaths since the start of the outbreak. There are 19% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.

The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state rose again to 12.5%, according to the MDHSS – the highest it’s been since January 13. While that number has climbed more than eight percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.

The state’s vaccination dashboard was not updated Sunday. On Saturday, the state said it has administered 5,023,913 vaccine doses, 2,766,600 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,428,241 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.1% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.6% have completed vaccination.

As od Saturday, an estimated 43.5% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 41.6%, Clay County is at 35%, Cass County is at 35.4% and Platte County is at 30.4%.

[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]

Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.

Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,579 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,235 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,711 cases in Clay County, 8,084 in Cass County and 3,423 in Platte County.

[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]

SATURDAY

8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 533,837 on Saturday, which is an increase of 167 confirmed cases. The state also reported there have been 97,766 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 472 cases.

The state reported there have been 5,794 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 828 cases a day.

Missouri continues leads the nation in the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks.

The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.

That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.

The state said there have now been 9,387 (+4) deaths since the start of the outbreak. There are 19% of remaining ICU beds available and 71% of ventilators available, the state said.

The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state fell slightly to 12.1%, according to the MDHSS. While that number has climbed more than eight percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.

The state said it has administered 5,023,913 vaccine doses, 2,766,600 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,428,241 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.1% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.6% have completed vaccination.

An estimated 43.5% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 41.6%, Clay County is at 35%, Cass County is at 35.4% and Platte County is at 30.4%.

[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]

Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.

Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,545 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,197 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,704 cases in Clay County, 8,079 in Cass County and 3,417 in Platte County.

[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]

FRIDAY

4:15 p.m. — The city of Independence issued a public health advisory Friday afternoon, saying COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are climbing across the Kansas City metro and the state of Missouri because of the delta variant.

The city said in a news release that the population most at risk are those who have not been vaccinated, particularly children under the age of 12. READ MORE.

1:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 851 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since Wednesday, pushing the statewide total to 320,437 since the outbreak started.

KDHE reported nine new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,176. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 31 to 11,217 since the start of the outbreak.

State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 17 cases.

The overall monthly positivity is at 3.1% for July 2021 to date. While showing small increases since the start of the month, that number is down from a high of 16.5% in November.

The state also said it has vaccinated 1,303,088 people, 2,369,166 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 44.7% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose and 39.4% have completed vaccination.

[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]

Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 60,467 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 58,294. Wyandotte County is third with 21,240 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,420 cases, Douglas County reports 9,034 and Miami County has 2,853.

Health officials said they’re now monitoring 45 outbreak clusters, up from 26 earlier this month. A total of 298 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 21 hospitalizations and seven deaths.

10:30 a.m. — Vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday in relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines.

The changes come amid a national vaccination campaign in which children as young as 12 are eligible to get shots, as well as a general decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. READ MORE

10:10 a.m. — Missouri State Epidemiologist George Turabbelidze says the Delta COVID outbreak will last a few more weeks in Missouri.

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8:30 a.m. — Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System said Friday the facility is treating 35total coronavirus patients, 20 of which are considered to have active infections. One of those patients has been moved onto a ventilator. The other 15 patients are considered to be in the recovery phase.

8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 533,670 on Friday, which is an increase of 1,544 confirmed cases – the third consecutive day reporting more than 1,000 new cases. The state also reported there have been 97,294 possible antigen cases to date, which is an increase of 616 cases.

The state reported there have been 5,468 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 781 cases a day.

Missouri continues leads the nation in the most new COVID-19 cases per capita in the last two weeks.

The delta variant of the virus is believed responsible for much of the spread in Missouri, especially in the southwestern and northern parts of the state. Officials also cite low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.

That same variant has been found in Kansas City-area wastewater treatment facilities, meaning it’s beginning to take hold in the metro.

The state said there have now been 9,383 (+6) deaths since the start of the outbreak. There are 21% of remaining ICU beds available and 72% of ventilators available, the state said.

The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state fell slightly to 11.9%, according to the MDHSS. While that number has climbed more than seven percentage points since June, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.

The state said it has administered 5,023,913 vaccine doses, 2,766,600 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,428,241 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 45.1% of the population has received at least one dose and 39.6% have completed vaccination.

An estimated 43.5% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 41.6%, Clay County is at 35%, Cass County is at 35.4% and Platte County is at 30.4%.

[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]

Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.

Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 40,490 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 33,148 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,684 cases in Clay County, 8,059 in Cass County and 3,415 in Platte County.

[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE, TRACKING NUMBERS IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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