TOPEKA, Canada (WIBW) – Gov. Laura Kelly has announced the official phased launch plan for Kansas.
Governor Laura Kelly says that between Monday, January 4 and Wednesday, January 6, the state reported 5,501 new cases of COVID-19 and 130 new deaths. She said this brings Kansas’ total to 236,818 positive cases of the virus, 7,113 virus-related hospitalizations and 3,027 deaths caused by the virus.
According to Governor Kelly, the state has exceeded its goal of testing 1 million kansans by the end of 2020. She said the official number of tests performed on kansans from the beginning of the pandemic to the end of 2020 was 1,001,000. To find a free test site available, Governor Kelly said Kansans can visit gogettested.com/Kansas.
The Kelly government said there was a gap between the vaccination monitor at the Kansas Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Kansas Department of Health and the Environment. She said her team is working closely with the CDC to close the gap. She said KDHE is using KS WebIZ to track the state’s vaccination progress. She said that since 4 pm on Wednesday, January 6, the state has administered 45,872 doses of vaccine. She said residents can go to kansasvaccine.gov to find out more about the vaccine in the state.
According to Governor Kelly, Kansas received 17,550 doses of Pfizer vaccine for the week of January 4, she said the state also received the second dose of the initial 24,000 doses. She said the state received 16,900 doses that week. She said Kansas is expected to receive 17,500 doses of Pfizer vaccine in the week of Jan. 11 and 17,000 doses of Modern vaccine.
According to Governor Kelly, his team has prepared its official step-by-step plan for COVID-19 vaccine launches for the state, which are as follows:
- Stage 1 – Residents of long-term care units, health workers, workers critical to the continuity of the COVID-19 response
- Phase 2 – Residents aged 65 and over, those working in authorized places come together, such as correctional facilities and shelters for the homeless and critical workers with high contact, working with many contacts who could be exposed to the virus
- Phase 3 – Residents aged 16 to 64, with serious medical conditions, increasing the risk of serious illness with COVID-19, unhealthy workers and employees of critical infrastructure who cannot work remotely
- Phase 4 – Residents aged 16 to 64 with other medical conditions that increase the risk of serious illness with COVID-19
- Phase 5 – Each resident over the age of 16
The Kelly government has said it expects phase 1 to be completed by the end of January.
According to Governor Kelly, the step-by-step plan was created with the guidance of national and state health experts. She said the state will continue to make decisions based on what doctors, science and public health experts say. She said the time frame for the rest of the vaccine launch depends on when and how many doses the state receives from the federal government. She said it was important to note that while there will be more people qualifying for the vaccine with each phase, there will be more healthcare providers who will administer the vaccine with each phase.
The Kelly government says its health greetings for the week of January 4 go to Leslie Pfannenstiel, Norton County health administrator. She said Pfannanstiel’s team consists of only seven members. She said Pfannenstiel also helps facilities facing outbreaks, as well as providing social and financial services to quarantined residents.
January 7, 12:15 p.m.
Governor Laura Kelly will update the state on its efforts against COVID-19.
Gov. Laura Kelly says she will hold a news conference Thursday, Jan. 7, at 4 p.m., to update the state on her administration’s efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic. Priority groups for the vaccine are also expected to be discussed.
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