Barton County anticipates receiving a limited number of COVID 19 vaccine doses (350) on Monday, February 22 and will conduct a drive through first come first served vaccination clinic:

Wednesday, February 24, 2021 2 P.M. Barton County Fairgrounds Expo III Building

Eligible participants are based on KDHE guidance to vaccinate persons aged 65+, congregate settings and high-contact critical workers as outlined in Phase 2 of the Governor’s plan and only those individuals will be included in this event. 

Due to the limited number of vaccine doses Barton County has received, it is likely the event will end before 5 P.M. Barton County anticipates receiving more vaccine in the near future and will continue to host additional drive through clinics as soon as possible.

It is not required, however, to expedite your vaccination, eligible persons may visit www.bartoncounty.org to download and complete the vaccine consent form found under the COVID 19 tab. 

Barton County anticipates receiving a limited number of COVID 19 vaccine doses (350) on Monday, February 22 and will conduct a drive through first come first served vaccination clinic:Wednesday, February 24, 2021 2 P.M. Barton County Fairgrounds Expo III BuildingEligible participants are based on KDHE guidance to vaccinate persons aged 65+, congregate settings and high-contact critical workers as outlined in Phase 2 of the Governor’s plan and only those individuals will be included in this event. Due to the limited number of vaccine doses Barton County has received, it is likely the event will end before 5 P.M. Barton County anticipates receiving more vaccine in the near future and will continue to host additional drive through clinics as soon as possible.It is not required, however, to expedite your vaccination, eligible persons may visit www.bartoncounty.org to download and complete the vaccine consent form found under the COVID 19 tab.

First-come, first-serve COVID vaccination clinic scheduled

Barton County coronavirus update: 25 active cases

Barton County coronavirus update: 11 active cases

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. government researchers found that two masks are better than one in slowing coronavirus spread, but health officials stopped short of recommending that everyone double up.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday reported the results of a lab experiment that spaced two artificial heads 6 feet from each other and checked to see how many coronavirus-sized particles spewed by one were inhaled by the other.

The researchers found that wearing one mask — surgical or cloth — blocked around 40% of the particles coming toward the head that was breathing in. When a cloth mask was worn on top of a surgical mask, about 80% were blocked.

When both the exhaling and inhaling heads were double-masked, more than 95% of the particles were blocked, said the CDC’s Dr. John Brooks.

“The first challenge is to get as many as people as possible masking. And then for those that do mask, to help them get the best benefit out of that mask,” Brooks said.

The study had many limitations: The researchers used one brand of surgical mask and one kind of cloth mask, and it's not clear if results would be the same with every product. But it echoes some earlier research that suggests two masks are better than one.

The CDC also was updating its guidance to address wearing two masks. If done correctly, a cloth mask worn over a surgical mask can tighten the gaps around the mask's edges that can let virus particles in, the CDC said.

The agency also said it was taking down a do-it-yourself page, which went up last year when masks were in short supply and the CDC was encouraging people to take steps to interrupt viral transmission.

Some Americans have already started doubling up. Experts believe that's at least partly out of concern about new strains of coronavirus that have been found to spread more easily than the one that has driven the U.S. epidemic for the past year.

CDC guidance has evolved over the course of the epidemic.

Mask-wearing has long been common in some countries during respiratory outbreaks, especially in parts of Asia, but not in the United States.

When the COVID-19 crisis began and masks disappeared from store shelves, U.S. health officials actively discouraged the general public from wearing them. “Seriously people - STOP BUYING MASKS!” then-Surgeon General Jerome Adams wrote in a tweet almost a year ago.

Two months later, after it became clear that infected people who did not exhibit symptoms could spread the virus, the CDC began recommending people wear masks in public.

Mask-wearing increased and some places enforced mask mandates, but many Americans continue not to wear them. A recent University of California survey suggested that only about half of U.S. adults wear masks when in close contact with people outside their household.

Discussions about double-masking and higher-quality masks are important, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases scientist at the University of Toronto.

“But if a significant proportion of your populations isn't wearing a mask in the first place, then you're having the wrong conversation,” he added.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. government researchers found that two masks are better than one in slowing coronavirus spread, but health officials stopped short of recommending that everyone double up.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday reported the results of a lab experiment that spaced two artificial heads 6 feet from each other and checked to see how many coronavirus-sized particles spewed by one were inhaled by the other.The researchers found that wearing one mask — surgical or cloth — blocked around 40% of the particles coming toward the head that was breathing in. When a cloth mask was worn on top of a surgical mask, about 80% were blocked.When both the exhaling and inhaling heads were double-masked, more than 95% of the particles were blocked, said the CDC’s Dr. John Brooks.“The first challenge is to get as many as people as possible masking. And then for those that do mask, to help them get the best benefit out of that mask,” Brooks said.The study had many limitations: The researchers used one brand of surgical mask and one kind of cloth mask, and it's not clear if results would be the same with every product. But it echoes some earlier research that suggests two masks are better than one.“It works,” Brooks said.The CDC also was updating its guidance to address wearing two masks. If done correctly, a cloth mask worn over a surgical mask can tighten the gaps around the mask's edges that can let virus particles in, the CDC said.The agency also said it was taking down a do-it-yourself page, which went up last year when masks were in short supply and the CDC was encouraging people to take steps to interrupt viral transmission.Some Americans have already started doubling up. Experts believe that's at least partly out of concern about new strains of coronavirus that have been found to spread more easily than the one that has driven the U.S. epidemic for the past year.CDC guidance has evolved over the course of the epidemic.Mask-wearing has long been common in some countries during respiratory outbreaks, especially in parts of Asia, but not in the United States.When the COVID-19 crisis began and masks disappeared from store shelves, U.S. health officials actively discouraged the general public from wearing them. “Seriously people - STOP BUYING MASKS!” then-Surgeon General Jerome Adams wrote in a tweet almost a year ago.Two months later, after it became clear that infected people who did not exhibit symptoms could spread the virus, the CDC began recommending people wear masks in public.Mask-wearing increased and some places enforced mask mandates, but many Americans continue not to wear them. A recent University of California survey suggested that only about half of U.S. adults wear masks when in close contact with people outside their household.Discussions about double-masking and higher-quality masks are important, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases scientist at the University of Toronto.“But if a significant proportion of your populations isn't wearing a mask in the first place, then you're having the wrong conversation,” he added.

CDC updates coronavirus face mask guidance

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A virulent strain of the coronavirus that first appeared in Kansas in a Fort Hays State University athlete hasn’t spread widely among the student’s friends, although wastewater samples in the community have raised concerns, health officials say.

Officials sent a mobile lab to Hays after the variant that is wreaking havoc in the United Kingdom was detected last week during routine testing of athletes at the school, said Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state health department, Tuesday during a webcast with doctors at the University of Kansas Health System.

But he said only one of the 200 contacts or potential contacts of the student-athlete who were tested were positive for COVID-19. Officials are trying to determine whether that person has the same strain as the student-athlete. The results are expected later this week.

“On balance, I think everything came out pretty well,” Norman said. “Of course there is a long time before we can breath a sigh of relief in this particular county. And we are still doing more testing.”

Norman said the variant was uncovered one week after sewage samples tested in Ellis County, where the university is located, showed an uptick in genomic fragments of the virus. The state has been testing sewage samples for months to get a sense for where the virus is spreading.

“It is an early indicator when the wastewater starts up ticking in terms of the amount of viral particles then we can look in a more detailed manner in that community,” he said.

He said the state had doubled its genomic sequencing capability and will be testing about3 50 samples from all over the state every week.

He said the state has been seeing the number of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations fall in recent weeks as the vaccine rollout gets underway. As of Monday, the health department reported that 8% of the state’s population had been vaccinated. Almost 304,000 doses had been administered, or 73% of the 413,000 doses sent to Kansas by the federal government.

But Norman said the real number of vaccinations is actually higher and blamed the problem in part on what he described as a clunky system for inputting data.

“We know that, for example, six counties account for about 100,000 of the doses that have been given,” he said. “And I want to emphasize have been given that are just not recorded in our data systems yet.”

Norman said 82% of residents of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in the state had received at least their first round of vaccine. He said the federal government had begun shipping vaccines directly to several dozen retail pharmacies in the state this week, although not in large amounts so far.

But he said that for a normal summer, where people could safely attend weddings and other large community gatherings, the amount of vaccine will need to increase dramatically.

With multiple new vaccines on the horizon, that won’t remain a problem indefinitely, said Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System.

“If we boil it down, people are mad, people are angry,” Stites said. “But the real problem is there is just not enough vaccine and as we ramp up the next problem is going to be the logistics to give that much vaccine and get it all entered into the database, which we’ve got to clean up.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612878873265.png" alt="Virus variant map image GSAID" />
 <figcaption>Virus variant map image GSAID</figcaption>
 </figure>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A virulent strain of the coronavirus that first appeared in Kansas in a Fort Hays State University athlete hasn’t spread widely among the student’s friends, although wastewater samples in the community have raised concerns, health officials say.Officials sent a mobile lab to Hays after the variant that is wreaking havoc in the United Kingdom was detected last week during routine testing of athletes at the school, said Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state health department, Tuesday during a webcast with doctors at the University of Kansas Health System.But he said only one of the 200 contacts or potential contacts of the student-athlete who were tested were positive for COVID-19. Officials are trying to determine whether that person has the same strain as the student-athlete. The results are expected later this week.“On balance, I think everything came out pretty well,” Norman said. “Of course there is a long time before we can breath a sigh of relief in this particular county. And we are still doing more testing.”Norman said the variant was uncovered one week after sewage samples tested in Ellis County, where the university is located, showed an uptick in genomic fragments of the virus. The state has been testing sewage samples for months to get a sense for where the virus is spreading.“It is an early indicator when the wastewater starts up ticking in terms of the amount of viral particles then we can look in a more detailed manner in that community,” he said.He said the state had doubled its genomic sequencing capability and will be testing about3 50 samples from all over the state every week.He said the state has been seeing the number of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations fall in recent weeks as the vaccine rollout gets underway. As of Monday, the health department reported that 8% of the state’s population had been vaccinated. Almost 304,000 doses had been administered, or 73% of the 413,000 doses sent to Kansas by the federal government.But Norman said the real number of vaccinations is actually higher and blamed the problem in part on what he described as a clunky system for inputting data.“We know that, for example, six counties account for about 100,000 of the doses that have been given,” he said. “And I want to emphasize have been given that are just not recorded in our data systems yet.”Norman said 82% of residents of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in the state had received at least their first round of vaccine. He said the federal government had begun shipping vaccines directly to several dozen retail pharmacies in the state this week, although not in large amounts so far.But he said that for a normal summer, where people could safely attend weddings and other large community gatherings, the amount of vaccine will need to increase dramatically.With multiple new vaccines on the horizon, that won’t remain a problem indefinitely, said Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System.“If we boil it down, people are mad, people are angry,” Stites said. “But the real problem is there is just not enough vaccine and as we ramp up the next problem is going to be the logistics to give that much vaccine and get it all entered into the database, which we’ve got to clean up.”

No evidence of wide spread of virus variant so far in Kansas

Barton County coronavirus update: 38 active cases

TOPEKA —The state's COVID-19<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas"> case update Friday i</a>ncluded the death of a 6-year-old, according to the Kansas Department of Health.

This is the youngest virus death reported in Kansas. The child died in November and the death certificate was finalized this week, connecting the death to COVID-19.

Due to patient privacy laws, KDHE provided no further details about the death of the child.

According to the KHDE, a COVID-19 death is any person who dies and their death certificate lists COVID-19 or SARS-CO-V-2 as the underlying cause of death or a significant contributing factor to death.

The state's virus death toll topped 4100 Friday with the addition of of 206 additional deaths linked to COVID-19

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612552423695.png" alt="<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">KDHE image</a>&nbsp;Friday February 5, 2021" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">KDHE image</a>&nbsp;Friday February 5, 2021</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —The state's COVID-19<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas"> case update Friday i</a>ncluded the death of a 6-year-old, according to the Kansas Department of Health.This is the youngest virus death reported in Kansas. The child died in November and the death certificate was finalized this week, connecting the death to COVID-19.Due to patient privacy laws, KDHE provided no further details about the death of the child.According to the KHDE, a COVID-19 death is any person who dies and their death certificate lists COVID-19 or SARS-CO-V-2 as the underlying cause of death or a significant contributing factor to death.The state's virus death toll topped 4100 Friday with the addition of of 206 additional deaths linked to COVID-19<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612551327421.png" alt="Friday February 5, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday February 5, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE reports death of 6-year-old due to COVID-19

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 2647 to a total of 281,562, the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 4101 an increase of 206.

Friday's COVID-19 case update, includes the death of 6-year-old connected to COVID-19, according to the Kansas Department of Health.

This is the youngest death reported in Kansas. The individual died in November and the death certificate was finalized this week, connecting the death to COVID-19.

 Due to patient privacy laws, KDHE provided no further details about the death of the child.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 2647 to a total of 281,562, the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 4101 an increase of 206.Friday's COVID-19 case update, includes the death of 6-year-old connected to COVID-19, according to the Kansas Department of Health.This is the youngest death reported in Kansas. The individual died in November and the death certificate was finalized this week, connecting the death to COVID-19. Due to patient privacy laws, KDHE provided no further details about the death of the child.<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612551327421.png" alt="Friday February 5, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday February 5, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s top infectious disease expert doesn’t want the Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, says when it comes to Super Bowl parties during the pandemic, people should “just lay low and cool it.”

He said during TV interviews Wednesday that now isn’t the time to invite people over for watch parties because of the possibility that they’re infected with the coronavirus and could sicken others.

Big events like Sunday’s game in Tampa, Florida, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are always a cause for concern over the potential for virus spread, Fauci said.

“You don’t want parties with people that you haven’t had much contact with,” he told NBC’s “Today” show. “You just don’t know if they’re infected, so, as difficult as that is, at least this time around, just lay low and cool it.”&nbsp; Fauci refused to pick the Chiefs or Buccaneers to win. "I don't want to go there."

According to the CDC web site, gathering virtually or with the people you live with is the safest way to celebrate the Super Bowl this year. If you do have a small gathering with people who don’t live with you, outdoors is safer than indoors. This year, choose a safer way to enjoy the game.

Attend an outdoor viewing party where viewers can sit 6 feet apart.

The NFL has capped game attendance at 22,000 people because of the pandemic and citywide coronavirus mandates.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612377815413.png" alt="Fauci photo National Institute of Health" />
 <figcaption>Fauci photo National Institute of Health</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s top infectious disease expert doesn’t want the Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader.Dr. Anthony Fauci, says when it comes to Super Bowl parties during the pandemic, people should “just lay low and cool it.”He said during TV interviews Wednesday that now isn’t the time to invite people over for watch parties because of the possibility that they’re infected with the coronavirus and could sicken others.Big events like Sunday’s game in Tampa, Florida, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are always a cause for concern over the potential for virus spread, Fauci said.“You don’t want parties with people that you haven’t had much contact with,” he told NBC’s “Today” show. “You just don’t know if they’re infected, so, as difficult as that is, at least this time around, just lay low and cool it.”&nbsp; Fauci refused to pick the Chiefs or Buccaneers to win. "I don't want to go there."According to the CDC web site, gathering virtually or with the people you live with is the safest way to celebrate the Super Bowl this year. If you do have a small gathering with people who don’t live with you, outdoors is safer than indoors. This year, choose a safer way to enjoy the game.Host a virtual Super Bowl watch party.<ul>
 <li>Wear clothing or decorate your home with your favorite team’s logo or colors.</li><li>Make appetizers or snacks with the people you live with to enjoy while watching the game and share the recipes with your friends and family.</li><li>Start a text group with other fans to chat about the game while watching.</li>
 </ul>Attend an outdoor viewing party where viewers can sit 6 feet apart.<ul>
 <li>Use a projector screen to broadcast the game.</li><li>Sit at least 6 feet away from people you don’t live with.</li>
 </ul>The NFL has capped game attendance at 22,000 people because of the pandemic and citywide coronavirus mandates.

Fauci warns against Super Bowl parties to avoid virus spread

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 2247 to a total of 278,915, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 3895 an increase of 86

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/">Click here to&nbsp;</a>use the new tool on the Kansas’s COVID-19 vaccine website and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/160/Find-My-Vaccine">Click here&nbsp;</a>to get more details on vaccine.

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 2247 to a total of 278,915, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 3895 an increase of 86<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612376064354.png" alt="Wednesday February 3, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday February 3, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/">Click here to&nbsp;</a>use the new tool on the Kansas’s COVID-19 vaccine website and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/160/Find-My-Vaccine">Click here&nbsp;</a>to get more details on vaccine.

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday the launch of the “Find My Vaccine” mapping tool, designed to help Kansans locate sites that are administering vaccines in their communities. 

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/">Click here to </a>use the new tool on the Kansas’s COVID-19 vaccine website and <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/160/Find-My-Vaccine">Click here </a>to get more details on vaccine.

Kansans in vaccine phase 1 and 2 are recommended to use this tool as a resource for finding providers who are or will be offering the vaccine.

“The ‘find my vaccine’ mapping tool allows any Kansan, regardless of where they live, to find the closest vaccine provider to their community,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“The national shortage continues to be the biggest obstacle to delivering vaccines, and that means, many of our enrolled providers do not yet have sufficient vaccines to offer to the general public. But we know it’s better to be ahead of the curve and have this platform ready to go before supply has caught up, so that every Kansan is familiar with the tool and so we can be prepared as more providers are activated.”

The Kansas&nbsp;Find My Vaccine tool&nbsp;allows Kansans to:

The tool includes locations that are participating in administering COVID-19 vaccines and have provided their information to share with the general public. As federal supply increases, Find My Vaccine will evolve to support the COVID-19 vaccination effort by listing more providers and linking to details and scheduling opportunities as they become available. As the vaccine supply continues to grow, the State asks all enrolled providers who intend to vaccinate the general public to provide their information for Kansans to see in Find My Vaccine. 

Vaccines are being delivered to all 105 Kansas counties on a weekly basis, but not all providers may be listed on the map at this time. If you do not see an active location in your area - and you are in Phase 1 or 2 - ask your&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.1ph59dP5HLY3U8RnYzWhr9P3g-RX5SY7QQB-Uk4ZJvc/s/1303160919/br/96998253223-l" target="_blank">local health department</a>&nbsp;how to access the vaccine.&nbsp; Weekly vaccine allocations for each county are available on the&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.L2IBkzmD-wZ4LCb8YmsxAnu8XmXzyPJGa6EGqOBpTnI/s/1303160919/br/96998253223-l" target="_blank">KS COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610104544544.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday the launch of the “Find My Vaccine” mapping tool, designed to help Kansans locate sites that are administering vaccines in their communities. <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/">Click here to </a>use the new tool on the Kansas’s COVID-19 vaccine website and <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/160/Find-My-Vaccine">Click here </a>to get more details on vaccine.Kansans in vaccine phase 1 and 2 are recommended to use this tool as a resource for finding providers who are or will be offering the vaccine.“The ‘find my vaccine’ mapping tool allows any Kansan, regardless of where they live, to find the closest vaccine provider to their community,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“The national shortage continues to be the biggest obstacle to delivering vaccines, and that means, many of our enrolled providers do not yet have sufficient vaccines to offer to the general public. But we know it’s better to be ahead of the curve and have this platform ready to go before supply has caught up, so that every Kansan is familiar with the tool and so we can be prepared as more providers are activated.”The Kansas&nbsp;Find My Vaccine tool&nbsp;allows Kansans to:<ol>
 <li>Look up nearby COVID-19 vaccine locations</li><li>Identify which locations have recently received vaccine doses</li><li>Access contact information for each location to confirm eligibility and availability</li>
 </ol>The tool includes locations that are participating in administering COVID-19 vaccines and have provided their information to share with the general public. As federal supply increases, Find My Vaccine will evolve to support the COVID-19 vaccination effort by listing more providers and linking to details and scheduling opportunities as they become available. As the vaccine supply continues to grow, the State asks all enrolled providers who intend to vaccinate the general public to provide their information for Kansans to see in Find My Vaccine. Vaccines are being delivered to all 105 Kansas counties on a weekly basis, but not all providers may be listed on the map at this time. If you do not see an active location in your area - and you are in Phase 1 or 2 - ask your&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.1ph59dP5HLY3U8RnYzWhr9P3g-RX5SY7QQB-Uk4ZJvc/s/1303160919/br/96998253223-l" target="_blank">local health department</a>&nbsp;how to access the vaccine.&nbsp; Weekly vaccine allocations for each county are available on the&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.L2IBkzmD-wZ4LCb8YmsxAnu8XmXzyPJGa6EGqOBpTnI/s/1303160919/br/96998253223-l" target="_blank">KS COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard</a>.

Kansas launches new 'Find My Vaccine' online tool

Barton County anticipates receiving a limited number of COVID 19 vaccine doses (400) on Tuesday, February 2 and will conduct a drive through first come first served vaccination clinic:

Wednesday, February 3, 2021 4 P.M. Barton County Fairgrounds Expo III Building

Due to the limited number of vaccine doses Barton County has received, it is likely the event will end before 6:30 P.M. 

Barton County anticipates receiving more vaccine in the near future and will continue to host additional drive through clinics as soon as possible.

It is not required, however, to expedite your vaccination, eligible persons may visit www.bartoncounty.org to download and complete the vaccine consent form found under the COVID-19 tab. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610732509572.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Barton County anticipates receiving a limited number of COVID 19 vaccine doses (400) on Tuesday, February 2 and will conduct a drive through first come first served vaccination clinic:Wednesday, February 3, 2021 4 P.M. Barton County Fairgrounds Expo III BuildingEligible participants are based on KDHE guidance to vaccinate persons aged 65+, congregate settings and high-contact critical workers as outlined in Phase 2 of the Governor’s plan and only those individuals will be included in this event. Due to the limited number of vaccine doses Barton County has received, it is likely the event will end before 6:30 P.M. Barton County anticipates receiving more vaccine in the near future and will continue to host additional drive through clinics as soon as possible.It is not required, however, to expedite your vaccination, eligible persons may visit www.bartoncounty.org to download and complete the vaccine consent form found under the COVID-19 tab.

Drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinic scheduled for Wed. (Feb. 3)

By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-26/the-emotional-strain-of-the-pandemic-is-taking-its-toll-on-kansas-health-care-workers">Kansas News Service</a>

Sometimes, Becky Angell doesn’t even realize she’s started crying.

She’s
 been a nurse for seven years, and worked in an intensive care unit in 
Olathe for the past two. She loves her job and is used to seeing people 
die.

But the past months of caring for one desperately ill 
COVID-19 patient after another have left her overwhelmed and in tears at
 the dinner table and on the drive home from work.

“It’s this 
helpless, worthless feeling that you’re doing everything you can do and 
this patient is still not thriving,” Angell said. “It’s like endlessly 
treading water with no land in sight.”

As the <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-18/with-hospitals-reeling-kansas-gov-kelly-makes-second-push-to-tame-coronavirus-with-masks" target="_blank">pandemic’s worst months</a>
 have stretched on in Kansas, many people who treat coronavirus patients
 have continued to feel the strain. The stress of watching so many 
people die, the fear of bringing the virus home to loved ones and the 
frustration of seeing people without masks have left health care 
workers, a group that already struggles with mental health, frazzled and
 emotionally drained.

Angell has trouble sleeping and sometimes 
loses her train of thought during conversations. She’s considering 
asking her doctor for antidepressants. She used to relieve stress by 
hanging out with her friends and coworkers. Lately, they’ve talked on 
social media and through group chats, but it’s not the same.

Usually,
 patients in an ICU get better and move on to other units. But the 
coronavirus has changed that. Now, when Angell sees elderly, 
COVID-positive people enter her unit, she assumes they won’t leave 
alive.

She went through a two-day stretch where only one of
 her patients survived. Meanwhile, she still comes across people who 
don’t wear masks or believe in science, including one couple she treated
 who tested positive for COVID but still didn’t believe in the virus.

“You’re
 kind of like, ‘What am I busting my buns at work for to keep people 
alive, if they’re just going to keep going out and making silly choices 
that put everybody in danger?’” she said. “You just kind of feel like 
you’re screaming into the wind.”

The stress of seeing patients die
 is getting to Dr. Hazen Short, too. He’s a family medicine physician 
who works in Kansas City, Kansas, and moonlights as an emergency room 
doctor in south-central and southeastern Kansas. Usually, small, rural 
ER shifts are calmer than those in larger hospitals. But not during the 
pandemic. Short has seen a few patients die as soon as they come into 
the ER. He’s noticed fewer people in rural parts of Kansas wear masks, 
even though some of those areas have been hit hard by the virus. And 
he’s worried about bringing the virus home to his wife and child.

“The
 hardest thing is the days before the shift. Because I know I have to go
 and I don’t know what I’m going to see,” he said. “I get very anxious 
before my shifts start and then I have trouble unwinding after.”

Short has tried relaxation techniques, and is thinking of going to 
therapy for the first time. His anxiety feels like a buzzing in his 
chest and head that sometimes he can’t get rid of. It can be hard to 
stop thinking about the family members who are told about their loved 
ones’ deaths over the phone. Or thinking: what he could have done 
differently to save someone’s life?

“You think about the patients 
that were really sick, and then, ‘Well, maybe I could have started this 
antibiotic or done this test instead of that,’” he said. “It’s 
impossible to be perfect, and I understand that. But it’s something that
 most physicians go through.”

Physicians have long had <a href="https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2018.131101" target="_blank">worse mental health</a>
 than the general public, said Dr. Srijan Sen, a professor at the 
University of Michigan. High-pressure training, long hours and an 
increasing administrative workload have contributed to higher rates of 
depression, anxiety and suicide among doctors, even before the pandemic.

<a href="https://1329574c-75a7-ab97-2a46-2b33890df3e6.filesusr.com/ugd/3fdf20_20ac720c01474568a62a9724ada86876.pdf" target="_blank">Research suggests</a> the pandemic has taken its toll, Sen said, especially now that early efforts to praise health care workers have faded.

“Fatigue has set in,” Sen said. “We’re seeing probably worse mental health among physicians than we’ve ever seen before.”

Health care workers often worry about a <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1815.long" target="_blank">stigma</a> about getting mental health treatment, both feelings that they internalize and that they feel colleagues might harbor.

“We
 care for others much more than we care for ourselves,” said Dr. Jessi 
Gold, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis who 
specializes in treating health care workers. “We don’t go get care 
because asking for help for that is a weakness.”

Gold thinks that 
hospitals and other employers could combat that perception by 
automatically signing up all employees for counseling, and letting 
people cancel if they don’t need it. Employers could also offer grants 
to cover the costs of mental health treatment, she said. Custodians, 
social workers, respiratory therapists, administrative staff and others 
are exposed to COVID at work, but aren’t paid as highly as doctors and 
nurses. There’s also not as much research about those groups.

“Health care workers come from a spectrum of financial backgrounds,” she said.

The
 Midwest saw its surge in cases later than some other parts of the 
country, meaning that many health care workers in the region experienced
 the anxiety of anticipation before COVID hit, Gold said.

Now that
 the virus has become so widespread, she’s worried the mental health 
system won’t be able to handle the flood of traumatized people likely to
 seek help after the pandemic is over.

“It’s like, if there was a 
storm and everybody walked outside and surveyed the damage, and then 
after surveying the damage, they took a deep breath and looked at 
themselves — that’s what's going to happen,” she said. “And then we’re 
going to see a huge influx of people.”

Nomin Ujiyediin reports 
on criminal justice and social welfare for the Kansas News Service. You 
can email her at nomin@kcur.org and follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/nominuj" target="_blank">@NominUJ</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611758677381.png" alt="Months of constant patient deaths and people refusing to believe in the virus have worn out health care workers. Nomin Ujiyediin / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Months of constant patient deaths and people refusing to believe in the virus have worn out health care workers. Nomin Ujiyediin / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-26/the-emotional-strain-of-the-pandemic-is-taking-its-toll-on-kansas-health-care-workers">Kansas News Service</a>Sometimes, Becky Angell doesn’t even realize she’s started crying.She’s
 been a nurse for seven years, and worked in an intensive care unit in 
Olathe for the past two. She loves her job and is used to seeing people 
die.But the past months of caring for one desperately ill 
COVID-19 patient after another have left her overwhelmed and in tears at
 the dinner table and on the drive home from work.“It’s this 
helpless, worthless feeling that you’re doing everything you can do and 
this patient is still not thriving,” Angell said. “It’s like endlessly 
treading water with no land in sight.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611758747763.png" alt="Olathe ICU nurse Becky Angell says she's had trouble sleeping during the pandemic. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Olathe ICU nurse Becky Angell says she's had trouble sleeping during the pandemic. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>As the <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-18/with-hospitals-reeling-kansas-gov-kelly-makes-second-push-to-tame-coronavirus-with-masks" target="_blank">pandemic’s worst months</a>
 have stretched on in Kansas, many people who treat coronavirus patients
 have continued to feel the strain. The stress of watching so many 
people die, the fear of bringing the virus home to loved ones and the 
frustration of seeing people without masks have left health care 
workers, a group that already struggles with mental health, frazzled and
 emotionally drained.Angell has trouble sleeping and sometimes 
loses her train of thought during conversations. She’s considering 
asking her doctor for antidepressants. She used to relieve stress by 
hanging out with her friends and coworkers. Lately, they’ve talked on 
social media and through group chats, but it’s not the same.Usually,
 patients in an ICU get better and move on to other units. But the 
coronavirus has changed that. Now, when Angell sees elderly, 
COVID-positive people enter her unit, she assumes they won’t leave 
alive.She went through a two-day stretch where only one of
 her patients survived. Meanwhile, she still comes across people who 
don’t wear masks or believe in science, including one couple she treated
 who tested positive for COVID but still didn’t believe in the virus.“You’re
 kind of like, ‘What am I busting my buns at work for to keep people 
alive, if they’re just going to keep going out and making silly choices 
that put everybody in danger?’” she said. “You just kind of feel like 
you’re screaming into the wind.”The stress of seeing patients die
 is getting to Dr. Hazen Short, too. He’s a family medicine physician 
who works in Kansas City, Kansas, and moonlights as an emergency room 
doctor in south-central and southeastern Kansas. Usually, small, rural 
ER shifts are calmer than those in larger hospitals. But not during the 
pandemic. Short has seen a few patients die as soon as they come into 
the ER. He’s noticed fewer people in rural parts of Kansas wear masks, 
even though some of those areas have been hit hard by the virus. And 
he’s worried about bringing the virus home to his wife and child.“The
 hardest thing is the days before the shift. Because I know I have to go
 and I don’t know what I’m going to see,” he said. “I get very anxious 
before my shifts start and then I have trouble unwinding after.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611758783538.png" alt="Dr. Hazen Short works in emergency rooms in rural parts of Kansas, where he sees many people not wearing masks. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Hazen Short works in emergency rooms in rural parts of Kansas, where he sees many people not wearing masks. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Short has tried relaxation techniques, and is thinking of going to 
therapy for the first time. His anxiety feels like a buzzing in his 
chest and head that sometimes he can’t get rid of. It can be hard to 
stop thinking about the family members who are told about their loved 
ones’ deaths over the phone. Or thinking: what he could have done 
differently to save someone’s life?“You think about the patients 
that were really sick, and then, ‘Well, maybe I could have started this 
antibiotic or done this test instead of that,’” he said. “It’s 
impossible to be perfect, and I understand that. But it’s something that
 most physicians go through.”Physicians have long had <a href="https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2018.131101" target="_blank">worse mental health</a>
 than the general public, said Dr. Srijan Sen, a professor at the 
University of Michigan. High-pressure training, long hours and an 
increasing administrative workload have contributed to higher rates of 
depression, anxiety and suicide among doctors, even before the pandemic.<a href="https://1329574c-75a7-ab97-2a46-2b33890df3e6.filesusr.com/ugd/3fdf20_20ac720c01474568a62a9724ada86876.pdf" target="_blank">Research suggests</a> the pandemic has taken its toll, Sen said, especially now that early efforts to praise health care workers have faded.“Fatigue has set in,” Sen said. “We’re seeing probably worse mental health among physicians than we’ve ever seen before.”Health care workers often worry about a <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1815.long" target="_blank">stigma</a> about getting mental health treatment, both feelings that they internalize and that they feel colleagues might harbor.“We
 care for others much more than we care for ourselves,” said Dr. Jessi 
Gold, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis who 
specializes in treating health care workers. “We don’t go get care 
because asking for help for that is a weakness.”Gold thinks that 
hospitals and other employers could combat that perception by 
automatically signing up all employees for counseling, and letting 
people cancel if they don’t need it. Employers could also offer grants 
to cover the costs of mental health treatment, she said. Custodians, 
social workers, respiratory therapists, administrative staff and others 
are exposed to COVID at work, but aren’t paid as highly as doctors and 
nurses. There’s also not as much research about those groups.“Health care workers come from a spectrum of financial backgrounds,” she said.The
 Midwest saw its surge in cases later than some other parts of the 
country, meaning that many health care workers in the region experienced
 the anxiety of anticipation before COVID hit, Gold said.Now that
 the virus has become so widespread, she’s worried the mental health 
system won’t be able to handle the flood of traumatized people likely to
 seek help after the pandemic is over.“It’s like, if there was a 
storm and everybody walked outside and surveyed the damage, and then 
after surveying the damage, they took a deep breath and looked at 
themselves — that’s what's going to happen,” she said. “And then we’re 
going to see a huge influx of people.”Nomin Ujiyediin reports 
on criminal justice and social welfare for the Kansas News Service. You 
can email her at nomin@kcur.org and follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/nominuj" target="_blank">@NominUJ</a>.

Pandemic takes an emotional toll on Kansas health care workers

Barton County coronavirus update: 53 active cases

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators suggested Tuesday that mistakes by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration are making it more difficult for older Kansas residents to get COVID-19 vaccine shots.

But Dr. Lee Norman, the head of the state health department and Kelly’s top public health administrator, said the biggest problem Kansas faces in administering the vaccines is “there’s just not enough.” He acknowledged during a joint meeting of the House and Senate health committees that he can’t predict how long it will take for the state to inoculate enough people to say it no longer faces a pandemic emergency.

Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature have grown increasingly critical of Kelly and the state Department of Health and Environment, peppering Norman with pointed questions during Tuesday’s meeting. One GOP lawmaker even argued that Kansas was wrong to focus on vaccinating health care workers first, rather than people 65 and older.

“I’ve never felt like our leadership, the Kelly administration, the KDHE, has learned lessons from this virus and adapted strategies to it,” said freshman Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson Republican and a physician, who didn’t wear a mask at Tuesday’s socially distanced meeting and said he doubts the effectiveness of mask wearing, despite a growing scientific consensus that masks provide protection for others as well as those wearing them.

The Democratic governor and Republican legislators have been sparring for months over the state’s response to the pandemic, but GOP lawmakers have recently focused on what they see as a slow and rocky vaccine distribution.

Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican, said he wants to see the state get to the point where there are enough people who have been vaccinated or had COVID-19 and developed immunity to “getting our economy back in shape.” Norman said those two groups would have to cover at least 85% of the population — close to 2.5 million people, or nearly 10 times the 255,550 vaccine does the state says it has received so far.

“I understand that there are supply chain issues, but I think we need to get the access out to the people as fast as possible,” said Thompson, who declines to wear a mask because, he says, he suffers from asthma.

Norman, who testified by WebEx, said Kansas has received its full allotment of vaccine doses from the federal government but just doesn’t have enough to gives shots as quickly as people want them.

Kelly announced last week that Kansas was entering its second phase of vaccine distribution, where anyone 65 and older, people in group living situations and “critical” workers are eligible for inoculations. Norman said that could be about 800,000 of the state’s 2.9 million residents, or 27%.

“We are ordering everything that is allocated to us, and here in recent weeks we’ve been getting everything we’ve ordered,” Norman said. “But there’s no way on the planet that that’s enough vaccine.”

Republican legislators have cited U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showing Kansas lagging behind other states in vaccination rates.&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank">A CDC report Tuesday&nbsp;</a>showed Kansas ranking 47th for doses administered per 100,000 residents, ahead of only Alabama, Idaho and Nevada.

The state health department reported that nearly 158,000 vaccine doses had been administered as of Monday; the CDC’s figure is slightly higher.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data" target="_blank">Kansas reports</a>&nbsp;that it has administered almost 62% of the vaccine doses it has received so far — something Norman touted as a sign that the administration of inoculations is on track.

However, the CDC said the state actually has received about 348,000 doses, which would put the percentage administered at roughly 45%. State officials said the CDC figures include doses shipped to pharmacies but not received for nursing home workers and residents.

House health committee Chair Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, questioned a state health department policy allowing residents of one county to go to another to get vaccinated, suggesting it sows confusion. Norman defended it, saying it has allowed counties to keep administering shots to health care workers so they weren’t without protections.

Kelly and other state officials have said repeatedly that Kansas is following CDC guidelines in deciding when people are eligible for inoculations. But Steffen argued that Kansas should have put a priority on vaccinating older residents even ahead of health care workers.

About 25% of the people vaccinated have been 65 or older. While that group accounted for about 15% of the state’s more than 269,000 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases through Monday, it had nearly 86% of the state’s 3,622 deaths, with one death for every 13 reported cases.

“If you give it to a bunch of health care workers and you’re just protecting them from flu symptoms, rather than giving it to people who you could save their life, that’s questionable,” Steffen said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611752735957.png" alt="Total doses administered <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations__">reported to the </a>CDC by State per 100,000-CDC image" />
 <figcaption>Total doses administered <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations__">reported to the </a>CDC by State per 100,000-CDC image</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators suggested Tuesday that mistakes by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration are making it more difficult for older Kansas residents to get COVID-19 vaccine shots.(Watch Tuesday's hearing below)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o9XyAclr57w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>But Dr. Lee Norman, the head of the state health department and Kelly’s top public health administrator, said the biggest problem Kansas faces in administering the vaccines is “there’s just not enough.” He acknowledged during a joint meeting of the House and Senate health committees that he can’t predict how long it will take for the state to inoculate enough people to say it no longer faces a pandemic emergency.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611753536468.png" alt="Dr. Lee Norman testified Tuesday by WebEx" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Lee Norman testified Tuesday by WebEx</figcaption>
 </figure>Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature have grown increasingly critical of Kelly and the state Department of Health and Environment, peppering Norman with pointed questions during Tuesday’s meeting. One GOP lawmaker even argued that Kansas was wrong to focus on vaccinating health care workers first, rather than people 65 and older.“I’ve never felt like our leadership, the Kelly administration, the KDHE, has learned lessons from this virus and adapted strategies to it,” said freshman Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson Republican and a physician, who didn’t wear a mask at Tuesday’s socially distanced meeting and said he doubts the effectiveness of mask wearing, despite a growing scientific consensus that masks provide protection for others as well as those wearing them.The Democratic governor and Republican legislators have been sparring for months over the state’s response to the pandemic, but GOP lawmakers have recently focused on what they see as a slow and rocky vaccine distribution.Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican, said he wants to see the state get to the point where there are enough people who have been vaccinated or had COVID-19 and developed immunity to “getting our economy back in shape.” Norman said those two groups would have to cover at least 85% of the population — close to 2.5 million people, or nearly 10 times the 255,550 vaccine does the state says it has received so far.“I understand that there are supply chain issues, but I think we need to get the access out to the people as fast as possible,” said Thompson, who declines to wear a mask because, he says, he suffers from asthma.Norman, who testified by WebEx, said Kansas has received its full allotment of vaccine doses from the federal government but just doesn’t have enough to gives shots as quickly as people want them.Kelly announced last week that Kansas was entering its second phase of vaccine distribution, where anyone 65 and older, people in group living situations and “critical” workers are eligible for inoculations. Norman said that could be about 800,000 of the state’s 2.9 million residents, or 27%.“We are ordering everything that is allocated to us, and here in recent weeks we’ve been getting everything we’ve ordered,” Norman said. “But there’s no way on the planet that that’s enough vaccine.”Republican legislators have cited U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showing Kansas lagging behind other states in vaccination rates.&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank">A CDC report Tuesday&nbsp;</a>showed Kansas ranking 47th for doses administered per 100,000 residents, ahead of only Alabama, Idaho and Nevada.The state health department reported that nearly 158,000 vaccine doses had been administered as of Monday; the CDC’s figure is slightly higher.<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data" target="_blank">Kansas reports</a>&nbsp;that it has administered almost 62% of the vaccine doses it has received so far — something Norman touted as a sign that the administration of inoculations is on track.However, the CDC said the state actually has received about 348,000 doses, which would put the percentage administered at roughly 45%. State officials said the CDC figures include doses shipped to pharmacies but not received for nursing home workers and residents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611753419734.png" alt="Rep. Brenda Landwher during Tuesday's hearing" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Brenda Landwher during Tuesday's hearing</figcaption>
 </figure>House health committee Chair Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, questioned a state health department policy allowing residents of one county to go to another to get vaccinated, suggesting it sows confusion. Norman defended it, saying it has allowed counties to keep administering shots to health care workers so they weren’t without protections.Kelly and other state officials have said repeatedly that Kansas is following CDC guidelines in deciding when people are eligible for inoculations. But Steffen argued that Kansas should have put a priority on vaccinating older residents even ahead of health care workers.About 25% of the people vaccinated have been 65 or older. While that group accounted for about 15% of the state’s more than 269,000 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases through Monday, it had nearly 86% of the state’s 3,622 deaths, with one death for every 13 reported cases.“If you give it to a bunch of health care workers and you’re just protecting them from flu symptoms, rather than giving it to people who you could save their life, that’s questionable,” Steffen said.___

🎥  Kan. lawmakers push for answers on COVID-19, vaccine reporting

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that county allocation data is now available on Kansas’ COVID-19 <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">vaccine dashboard.</a> A collaboration with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the COVID-19 dashboard will be updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 12:30 PM.

“I am pleased to announce county-specific allocation data is now available on our <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">vaccine dashboard,</a>” said Governor Laura Kelly. “My administration is prioritizing transparency and communication with public health officials and Kansans to deliver vaccines quickly and efficiently. As we progress through Phase 2 of our vaccination framework, I encourage Kansans to visit KansasVaccine.Gov or contact their local public health departments to learn more about signing up for the vaccine.”

As of January 25, Kansas has reported 132,145, people vaccinated, 157,520 total vaccine doses administered and 255, 550 vaccine doses distributed.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here </a>to view the vaccine data

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that county allocation data is now available on Kansas’ COVID-19 <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">vaccine dashboard.</a> A collaboration with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the COVID-19 dashboard will be updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 12:30 PM.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My administration has prioritized transparency and communication with public health officials and Kansans to deliver vaccines quickly and efficiently. To further this effort, you may now view county-specific allocation data on our vaccine dashboard. <a href="https://t.co/HwbkZ5fQj9">https://t.co/HwbkZ5fQj9</a>&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1354124014311116800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I am pleased to announce county-specific allocation data is now available on our <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">vaccine dashboard,</a>” said Governor Laura Kelly. “My administration is prioritizing transparency and communication with public health officials and Kansans to deliver vaccines quickly and efficiently. As we progress through Phase 2 of our vaccination framework, I encourage Kansans to visit KansasVaccine.Gov or contact their local public health departments to learn more about signing up for the vaccine.”As of January 25, Kansas has reported 132,145, people vaccinated, 157,520 total vaccine doses administered and 255, 550 vaccine doses distributed.<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here </a>to view the vaccine data

Vaccine data for your county available on Kansas website

Barton County anticipates receiving a limited number of COVID 19 vaccine doses (300) on Tuesday Jan. 26 and will conduct a drive through first come first served vaccination clinic:

Wednesday, January 27, 2021 1 P.M. Barton County Fairgrounds Expo III Building

Due to the limited number of vaccine doses Barton County has received, it is likely the event will end before 3 P.M. Barton County anticipates receiving more vaccine in the near future and will continue to host additional drive through clinics as soon as possible.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610558093974.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Barton County anticipates receiving a limited number of COVID 19 vaccine doses (300) on Tuesday Jan. 26 and will conduct a drive through first come first served vaccination clinic:Wednesday, January 27, 2021 1 P.M. Barton County Fairgrounds Expo III BuildingEligible participants are based on KDHE guidance to vaccinate persons aged 65+, congregate settings and high-contact critical workers as outlined in Phase 2 of the Governor’s plan and only those individuals will be included in this event. Due to the limited number of vaccine doses Barton County has received, it is likely the event will end before 3 P.M. Barton County anticipates receiving more vaccine in the near future and will continue to host additional drive through clinics as soon as possible.It is not required, however, to expedite your vaccination, eligible persons may visit www.bartoncounty.org to download and complete the vaccine consent form found under the COVID 19 tab.

Barton County schedules another COVID vaccination clinic

WASHINGTON (AP) —Public health experts blamed COVID-19 vaccine shortages around the U.S. in part on the Trump administration’s push to get states to vastly expand their vaccination drives to reach the nation’s estimated 54 million people age 65 and over.

The push that began over a week ago has not been accompanied by enough doses to meet demand, according to state and local officials, leading to frustration and confusion and limiting states’ ability to attack the outbreak that has killed over 400,000 Americans.

Over the past few days, authorities in California, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida and Hawaii warned that their supplies were running out. New York City began canceling or postponing shots or stopped making new appointments because of the shortages, which President Joe Biden has vowed to turn around. Florida’s top health official said the state would deal with the scarcity by restricting vaccines to state residents.

The vaccine rollout so far has been “a major disappointment,” said Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.

Problems started with the Trump administration’s “fatal mistake” of not ordering enough vaccine, which was then snapped up by other countries, Topol said. Then, opening the line to senior citizens set people up for disappointment because there wasn’t enough vaccine, he said. The Trump administration also left crucial planning to the states and didn’t provide the necessary funding.

“It doesn’t happen by fairy dust,” Topol said. “You need to put funds into that.”

Last week, before Biden took over as president, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department suggested that the frustration was the result of unrealistic expectations among the states as to how much vaccine was on the way.

But some public health experts said that the states have not been getting reliable information on vaccine deliveries and that the amounts they have been sent have been unpredictable. That, in turn, has made it difficult for them to plan how to inoculate people.

“It’s a bit of having to build it as we go,” said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s a front-end supply issue, and unless we know how much vaccine is flowing down the pipe, it’s hard to get these things sized right, staffed, get people there, get them vaccinated and get them gone.”

State health secretaries have asked the Biden administration for earlier and more reliable predictions on vaccine deliveries, said Washington state Health Secretary Dr. Umair Shah.

Dr. Marcus Plescia of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials was also among those who said opening vaccinations to senior citizens was done too soon, before supply could catch up.

“We needed steady federal leadership on this early in the launch,” Plescia said. “That did not happen, and now that we are not prioritizing groups, there is going to be some lag for supply to catch up with demand.”

Supply will pick up over the next few weeks, he said. Deliveries go out to the states every week, and the government and drugmakers have given assurances large quantities are in the pipeline.

The rollout has proceeded at a disappointing pace. The U.S. government has delivered nearly 38 million doses of vaccine to the states, and about 17.5 million of those have been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 2.4 million people have received the necessary two doses, by the CDC’s count — well short of the hundreds of millions who will have to be inoculated to vanquish the outbreak.

Biden, in one of his first orders of business, signed 10 executive orders to combat the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, including one broadening the use of the Defense Production Act to expand vaccine production. The 1950 Korean War-era law enables the government to direct the manufacture of critical goods.

He also mandated masks for travel, including in airports and on planes, ships, trains, buses and public transportation, and ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up vaccination centers and the CDC to make vaccines available through pharmacies starting next month.

Biden has vowed to dispense 100 million shots in his first 100 days.

“We’ll move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated for free,” he said.

Florida was one of the first states to open vaccine eligibility to members of the general public over 65. Now uncertainty over the vaccine supply has prompted the state surgeon general, Scott Rivkees, to advise counties to prioritize available doses for state residents, including so-called snowbirds who live there part-time. People seeking vaccination will have to provide a driver’s license or other document, such as rental leases and utility bills.

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have been pleading for more doses. Appointments through Sunday for the first dose of the vaccine at 15 community vaccination hubs set up by the city health department were postponed to next week.

Vaccinations in New York haven’t stopped, but demand for the shots now far exceeds the number of doses available, the mayor said.

“It’s just tremendously sad that we have so many people who want the vaccine and so much ability to give the vaccine, what’s happening?” de Blasio said. “For lack of supply, we’re actually having to cancel appointments.”

Rosa Schneider had jumped at the chance to make a vaccination appointment once she heard that educators like her were eligible in New York. A high school English teacher who lives in New York City but works in New Jersey, she said that a day before she was to be vaccinated on Wednesday at a city-run hospital, she got a call saying the supply had run out and the appointment was canceled.

“I was concerned, and I was upset,” said Schneider, 32, but she is trying daily to book another appointment. She is hopeful availability will improve in the coming weeks.

WASHINGTON (AP) —Public health experts blamed COVID-19 vaccine shortages around the U.S. in part on the Trump administration’s push to get states to vastly expand their vaccination drives to reach the nation’s estimated 54 million people age 65 and over.The push that began over a week ago has not been accompanied by enough doses to meet demand, according to state and local officials, leading to frustration and confusion and limiting states’ ability to attack the outbreak that has killed over 400,000 Americans.Over the past few days, authorities in California, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida and Hawaii warned that their supplies were running out. New York City began canceling or postponing shots or stopped making new appointments because of the shortages, which President Joe Biden has vowed to turn around. Florida’s top health official said the state would deal with the scarcity by restricting vaccines to state residents.The vaccine rollout so far has been “a major disappointment,” said Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.Problems started with the Trump administration’s “fatal mistake” of not ordering enough vaccine, which was then snapped up by other countries, Topol said. Then, opening the line to senior citizens set people up for disappointment because there wasn’t enough vaccine, he said. The Trump administration also left crucial planning to the states and didn’t provide the necessary funding.“It doesn’t happen by fairy dust,” Topol said. “You need to put funds into that.”Last week, before Biden took over as president, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department suggested that the frustration was the result of unrealistic expectations among the states as to how much vaccine was on the way.But some public health experts said that the states have not been getting reliable information on vaccine deliveries and that the amounts they have been sent have been unpredictable. That, in turn, has made it difficult for them to plan how to inoculate people.“It’s a bit of having to build it as we go,” said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s a front-end supply issue, and unless we know how much vaccine is flowing down the pipe, it’s hard to get these things sized right, staffed, get people there, get them vaccinated and get them gone.”State health secretaries have asked the Biden administration for earlier and more reliable predictions on vaccine deliveries, said Washington state Health Secretary Dr. Umair Shah.Dr. Marcus Plescia of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials was also among those who said opening vaccinations to senior citizens was done too soon, before supply could catch up.“We needed steady federal leadership on this early in the launch,” Plescia said. “That did not happen, and now that we are not prioritizing groups, there is going to be some lag for supply to catch up with demand.”Supply will pick up over the next few weeks, he said. Deliveries go out to the states every week, and the government and drugmakers have given assurances large quantities are in the pipeline.The rollout has proceeded at a disappointing pace. The U.S. government has delivered nearly 38 million doses of vaccine to the states, and about 17.5 million of those have been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About 2.4 million people have received the necessary two doses, by the CDC’s count — well short of the hundreds of millions who will have to be inoculated to vanquish the outbreak.Biden, in one of his first orders of business, signed 10 executive orders to combat the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, including one broadening the use of the Defense Production Act to expand vaccine production. The 1950 Korean War-era law enables the government to direct the manufacture of critical goods.He also mandated masks for travel, including in airports and on planes, ships, trains, buses and public transportation, and ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up vaccination centers and the CDC to make vaccines available through pharmacies starting next month.Biden has vowed to dispense 100 million shots in his first 100 days.“We’ll move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated for free,” he said.Florida was one of the first states to open vaccine eligibility to members of the general public over 65. Now uncertainty over the vaccine supply has prompted the state surgeon general, Scott Rivkees, to advise counties to prioritize available doses for state residents, including so-called snowbirds who live there part-time. People seeking vaccination will have to provide a driver’s license or other document, such as rental leases and utility bills.In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have been pleading for more doses. Appointments through Sunday for the first dose of the vaccine at 15 community vaccination hubs set up by the city health department were postponed to next week.Vaccinations in New York haven’t stopped, but demand for the shots now far exceeds the number of doses available, the mayor said.“It’s just tremendously sad that we have so many people who want the vaccine and so much ability to give the vaccine, what’s happening?” de Blasio said. “For lack of supply, we’re actually having to cancel appointments.”Rosa Schneider had jumped at the chance to make a vaccination appointment once she heard that educators like her were eligible in New York. A high school English teacher who lives in New York City but works in New Jersey, she said that a day before she was to be vaccinated on Wednesday at a city-run hospital, she got a call saying the supply had run out and the appointment was canceled.“I was concerned, and I was upset,” said Schneider, 32, but she is trying daily to book another appointment. She is hopeful availability will improve in the coming weeks.

Health experts blame rapid expansion for vaccine shortages

Barton County coronavirus update: 67 active cases

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s state epidemiologist is urging a halt to more than 300,000 coronavirus vaccinations using a Moderna vaccine version because some people received medical treatment for possible severe allergic reactions.

Dr. Erica S. Pan on Sunday recommended providers stop using lot 41L20A of the Moderna vaccine pending completion of an investigation by state officials, Moderna, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the federal Food and Drug Administration.

“Out of an extreme abundance of caution and also recognizing the extremely limited supply of vaccine, we are recommending that providers use other available vaccine inventory,” Pan said in a statement.

She said more than 330,000 doses from the lot arrived in California between Jan. 5 and Jan. 12 and were distributed to 287 providers.

Fewer than 10 people, who all received the vaccine at the same community site, needed medical attention over a 24-hour period, Pan said. No other similar clusters were found.

Pan did not specify the number of cases involved or where they occurred.

However, six San Diego health care workers had allergic reactions to vaccines they received at a mass vaccination center on Jan. 14. The site was temporarily closed and is now using other vaccines, KTGV-TV reported.

Moderna in a statement said the company “is unaware of comparable adverse events from other vaccination centers which may have administered vaccines from the same lot.”

The CDC has said COVID-19 vaccines can cause side effects for a few days that include fever, chills, headache, swelling or tiredness, “which are normal signs that your body is building protection.”

However, severe reactions are extremely rare. Pan said in a vaccine similar to Moderna, the rate of anaphylaxis — in which an immune system reaction can block breathing and cause blood pressure to drop — was about 1 in 100,000.

The announcement came as California counties continue to plead for more COVID-19 vaccine as the state tries to reduce its rate of infection, which has led to record numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.

California, with a population of 40 million, has shipped about about 3.2 million doses of the vaccine — which requires two doses for full immunization — to local health departments and health care systems, the state’s Department of Public Health reported Monday.

Only about 1.4 million of those doses, or around 40%, have been administered.

So far. the state has vaccinated fewer than 2,500 people per 100,000 residents, a rate that falls well below the national average, according to federal data.

Although Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that anyone age 65 and older would be eligible to start receiving the vaccine, Los Angeles County and some others have said they do not have enough doses to vaccinate so many people and are first concentrating on inoculating health care workers and the most vulnerable elderly living in care homes.

On Monday, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District sent a letter to state and county public health officials asking for authorization to provide COVID-19 vaccinations at schools for staff, local community members and for students once a vaccine for children has been approved.

“Doing so will help reopen schools as soon as possible, and in the safest way possible,” Superintendent Austin Beutner wrote.

California is nearing 3 million coronavirus cases and more than 33,600 people have died since the start of the pandemic last year, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s state epidemiologist is urging a halt to more than 300,000 coronavirus vaccinations using a Moderna vaccine version because some people received medical treatment for possible severe allergic reactions.Dr. Erica S. Pan on Sunday recommended providers stop using lot 41L20A of the Moderna vaccine pending completion of an investigation by state officials, Moderna, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the federal Food and Drug Administration.“Out of an extreme abundance of caution and also recognizing the extremely limited supply of vaccine, we are recommending that providers use other available vaccine inventory,” Pan said in a statement.She said more than 330,000 doses from the lot arrived in California between Jan. 5 and Jan. 12 and were distributed to 287 providers.Fewer than 10 people, who all received the vaccine at the same community site, needed medical attention over a 24-hour period, Pan said. No other similar clusters were found.Pan did not specify the number of cases involved or where they occurred.However, six San Diego health care workers had allergic reactions to vaccines they received at a mass vaccination center on Jan. 14. The site was temporarily closed and is now using other vaccines, KTGV-TV reported.Moderna in a statement said the company “is unaware of comparable adverse events from other vaccination centers which may have administered vaccines from the same lot.”The CDC has said COVID-19 vaccines can cause side effects for a few days that include fever, chills, headache, swelling or tiredness, “which are normal signs that your body is building protection.”However, severe reactions are extremely rare. Pan said in a vaccine similar to Moderna, the rate of anaphylaxis — in which an immune system reaction can block breathing and cause blood pressure to drop — was about 1 in 100,000.The announcement came as California counties continue to plead for more COVID-19 vaccine as the state tries to reduce its rate of infection, which has led to record numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.California, with a population of 40 million, has shipped about about 3.2 million doses of the vaccine — which requires two doses for full immunization — to local health departments and health care systems, the state’s Department of Public Health reported Monday.Only about 1.4 million of those doses, or around 40%, have been administered.So far. the state has vaccinated fewer than 2,500 people per 100,000 residents, a rate that falls well below the national average, according to federal data.Although Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that anyone age 65 and older would be eligible to start receiving the vaccine, Los Angeles County and some others have said they do not have enough doses to vaccinate so many people and are first concentrating on inoculating health care workers and the most vulnerable elderly living in care homes.On Monday, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District sent a letter to state and county public health officials asking for authorization to provide COVID-19 vaccinations at schools for staff, local community members and for students once a vaccine for children has been approved.“Doing so will help reopen schools as soon as possible, and in the safest way possible,” Superintendent Austin Beutner wrote.California is nearing 3 million coronavirus cases and more than 33,600 people have died since the start of the pandemic last year, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.The death rate from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County — the nation’s most populous and an epicenter of the state pandemic — works out to about one person every six minutes.On Sunday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District suspended some pollution-control limits on the number of cremations for at least 10 days in order to deal with a backlog of bodies at hospitals and funeral homes.“The current rate of death is more than double that of pre-pandemic years,” the agency said.

Coronavirus Update