As deaths and hospitalizations rise in Kansas, state leaders urge mask usage, mandates
Gov. Laura Kelly and other Kansas leaders are engaged in an increasingly urgent effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 as hospitalizations mount and the state crossed a grim threshold.
Kansas on Wednesday reported that more than 1,000 residents have now died from the virus. Kelly ordered flags flown at half staff.
But the state’s biggest challenges may lie ahead. Colder temperatures in the coming weeks will force people indoors and the flu, which shares many symptoms with COVID-19, will begin to spread.
Health officials are begging Kansans to wear masks even though much of the state doesn’t fall under a mask order. Kelly, a Democrat, said she asked Republican legislators on Tuesday to consider a special session to approve mask legislation.
GOP lawmakers responded, she said, by asking that they first urge voluntary mask use and local requirements. Kelly agreed to take that approach first.
“We cannot afford to wait another moment to begin this process,” Kelly said at a news conference Wednesday. “If we are unable to convince communities to voluntarily implement a mask mandate I will move expeditiously to find another way to implement.”
House Speaker Ron Ryckman, House Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch and House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins — all Republicans — said in a joint statement following the meeting that everyone “agreed to seek strategies to improve public education and voluntary collaboration to increase the use of masks rather than a special session and legislation.”
Meanwhile, the virus continues to surge across the state. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported 1,007 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The agency also added an additional 3,369 cases, though roughly 1,500 of those stemmed from an update to the state’s disease tracking system.
Cases in Kansas are increasing at more than double the rate they were two months ago.
As of October 21, Kansas was averaging 768 new COVID-19 cases per day, according to data maintained by The Wichita Eagle. On September 23rd the state averaged just 615 new cases. A month before that, on August 19, the state saw just 300 new cases per day.
“We are just losing Kansans day in and day out. This cannot continue,” Kelly said.
Kansas hospitals on Wednesday reported 135 new COVID-19 related patient admissions, according to KDHE, which appeared to be the largest number of new admissions that have been reported so far. In Wichita, two major hospitals, Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Medical Center, reported their highest combined number of COVID-19 patients on Monday.
The hospitals collectively had 96 patients Wednesday, up to from 90 on Monday. Before that, the previous high was 72, in early August.
Wesley Healthcare spokesman Dave Stewart said in an email that the hospital is concerned the increase “reflects the public moving away from the recommended precautions” to prevent spread of the virus.
Because of the COVID-19 patient load, a Via Christi official reached out to Sedgwick County about funding on Wednesday, according to County Manager Tom Stolz.
“They are wanting to talk with us about some emergency funding perhaps,” Stolz said. “They are looking at options now for overflow patients and staffing concerns.”
As of Wednesday, the University of Kansas Health System, based in Kansas City, Kansas, was treating 36 COVID-19 patients.
Mandate effectiveness
Research suggests mask mandates in Kansas counties have been effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Donna Ginther, director of the Institute for Policy and Social Research at KU, recently found in a study that counties with mask mandates in Kansas had a 50% reduction in the spread of the virus and then saw cases remain flat.
But health officials in counties without mask orders have struggled to get residents to consistently wear them. Some local health departments are discussing fresh attempts to obtain support from county commissions for mask orders, said Dennis Kriesel, director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments.
“There have been some that have indicated this week that they feel like mask usage has dropped … in counties where there are no mask mandates,” Kriesel said.
Kelly on Wednesday also provided details about her administration’s COVID-19 testing strategy. State leaders have set aside $50 million in federal relief aid to expand virus testing.
Though she did not have details on what proposals had been chosen for the strategy, Kelly said the state would focus on increasing the level of screening for the virus beyond those who are symptomatic or exposed to an outbreak.
For populations at high risk, Kelly said, health officials will investigate outbreaks and use regular screening for the virus. For medium risk populations, health officials will instead use surveillance testing, such as wastewater screening, and investigate outbreaks.
The strategy, she said, would aim to identify what resources the state has and needs regarding testing.
“The unified testing strategy will be resource intensive but will help us save lives and rebuild our economy,” Kelly said.
The Wichita Eagle’s Michael Stavola and The Star’s Bob Cronkleton contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 5:00 PM with the headline "As deaths and hospitalizations rise in Kansas, state leaders urge mask usage, mandates."
