It is too soon for final decisions on Sundown Salute in 2021 but CVB Director Michelle Stimatze noted this week that the celebration in July may have to be limited. COVID-19 is the key factor.

Stimatze said that decisions have not yet been finalized at this point. "But we're looking like maybe not having a full blown Sundown Salute." Stimatze referred to possible events that could occur. "We're talking about maybe having a parade, the race - the Freedom Run and a car show. That might be the extent of it for this next year."Stimatze added that's just because of COVID.

The CVB has been coordinating the Sundown Salute celebration. Typically there are other activities ranging from vendors in the park to musical entertainment. "Well, we're probably not sure about music yet. We're just in the beginning stages of planning. It seems like COVID is going to take its course again this spring and it looks like maybe by fall time we'll have a little bit of ease on that but it's hard to make any decisions with the big events in our community."

The 2020 Fourth of July Sundown Salute celebration had to be&nbsp; cancelled due to COVID-19.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611245482173.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>It is too soon for final decisions on Sundown Salute in 2021 but CVB Director Michelle Stimatze noted this week that the celebration in July may have to be limited. COVID-19 is the key factor.Stimatze said that decisions have not yet been finalized at this point. "But we're looking like maybe not having a full blown Sundown Salute." Stimatze referred to possible events that could occur. "We're talking about maybe having a parade, the race - the Freedom Run and a car show. That might be the extent of it for this next year."Stimatze added that's just because of COVID.The CVB has been coordinating the Sundown Salute celebration. Typically there are other activities ranging from vendors in the park to musical entertainment. "Well, we're probably not sure about music yet. We're just in the beginning stages of planning. It seems like COVID is going to take its course again this spring and it looks like maybe by fall time we'll have a little bit of ease on that but it's hard to make any decisions with the big events in our community."The 2020 Fourth of July Sundown Salute celebration had to be&nbsp; cancelled due to COVID-19.&nbsp;

Sundown Salute may have to be scaled back in 2021

MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Riley County Health Department announced five additional COVID-19 related deaths in its most recent report.&nbsp;The individuals ranged in age from 46-85. No further details were released about the deceased. The five deaths brings the total for the pandemic to 28 within Riley County.&nbsp;

Additionally, RCHD announced 127 newly identified cased of COVID-19, with 306 recoveries since the last report on Friday.&nbsp;

There are currently 12 positive patients housed at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan, with one patient in the ICU.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 5.724 total positive cases in Riley County, with 361 active cases at the moment.&nbsp;

There have also been 5,335 total recovered cases in Riley County since the beginning of the pandemic.&nbsp;

MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Riley County Health Department announced five additional COVID-19 related deaths in its most recent report.&nbsp;The individuals ranged in age from 46-85. No further details were released about the deceased. The five deaths brings the total for the pandemic to 28 within Riley County.&nbsp;Additionally, RCHD announced 127 newly identified cased of COVID-19, with 306 recoveries since the last report on Friday.&nbsp;There are currently 12 positive patients housed at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan, with one patient in the ICU.Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 5.724 total positive cases in Riley County, with 361 active cases at the moment.&nbsp;There have also been 5,335 total recovered cases in Riley County since the beginning of the pandemic.&nbsp;

RCHD announces 5 additional COVID-19 deaths

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.

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.

Health official urges stop to 300K vaccines after some fall ill

Civilian employees at Fort Riley have been included in the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations. Col. Will McKannay said, "Many of those first&nbsp; vaccinations did go through our Department of the Army civilians who work at the hospital. And some of my own Department of the Army civilian police and security guards who work here at the garrison, some of the maintenance workers and some of the other training support employees are civilian workers, great many of those."

McKannay noted they're right along side the Soldiers and are considered mission essential.

The garrison commander visited with area media this past week.

Civilian employees at Fort Riley have been included in the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations. Col. Will McKannay said, "Many of those first&nbsp; vaccinations did go through our Department of the Army civilians who work at the hospital. And some of my own Department of the Army civilian police and security guards who work here at the garrison, some of the maintenance workers and some of the other training support employees are civilian workers, great many of those."McKannay noted they're right along side the Soldiers and are considered mission essential.The garrison commander visited with area media this past week.

Garrison Commander touches on civilian personnel COVID-19 vaccinations

By JULIE APPLEBY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-14/private-practice-doctors-patients-wonder-when-its-their-turn-for-the-covid-19-vaccine">Kaiser Health News</a>

Dr. Andrew Carroll — a family doctor in Chandler, Arizona — wants to 
help his patients get immunized against covid, so he paid more than 
$4,000 to buy an ultra-low-temperature freezer from eBay needed to store
 the Pfizer vaccine.

But he’s not sure he’ll get a chance to use 
it, given health officials have so far not said when private doctor’s 
offices will get vaccine.

Not
 only are doctors having trouble getting vaccine for patients, but many 
of the community-based physicians and medical staff that aren’t employed
 by hospitals or health systems also report mixed results in getting 
inoculated. Some have had their shots, yet others are still waiting, 
even though health workers providing direct care to patients are in the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s top-priority group.

Many
 of these doctors say they don’t know when — or if — they will get doses
 for their patients, which will soon become a bigger issue as states 
attempt to vaccinate more people.

“The reason that’s important is 
patients trust their doctors when it comes to the vaccine,” said 
Carroll, who has complained on social media that his county hasn’t yet 
released plans on how primary care doctors will be brought into the 
loop.

Collectively, physicians in the county could vaccinate 
thousands of patients a day, he said, and might draw some who would 
otherwise be hesitant if they had to go to a large hospital, a 
fairground or another central site.

His concern comes as, 
nationally, the rollout of the vaccine is off to a slower start than 
expected, lagging far behind the initial goal of giving 20 million doses
 before the new year.

But Dr. Jen Brull, a family practice doctor 
in Plainville, Kansas, said her rural area has made good progress on the
 first phase of vaccinations, crediting close working relationships 
formed well before the pandemic.

This fall, before any doses 
became available, the local hospital, the health department and 
physician offices coordinated a sign-up list for medical workers who 
wanted the vaccine. So, when their county, with a population of 5,000, 
got its first 70 doses, they were ready to go. Another 80 doses came a 
week later.

“We’ll be able to vaccinate almost all the health care-associated folks who wanted it in the county” Brull said recently

Dr.
 Jason Goldman, an internist in Coral Springs, Florida, said he was able
 to get vaccinated at a local hospital that received the bulk of 
vaccines in his county and oversaw distribution.

In the weeks since, however, he said several of his front-line staff members still “don’t have access to the vaccine.”

Additionally,
 “a tremendous number” of patients are calling his office because 
Florida has relaxed distribution guidelines to include anyone over age 
65, Goldman said, asking when they can get the vaccine. He’s applied to 
officials about distributing the vaccines through his practice but has 
heard nothing back.

Patients “are frustrated that they do not have
 clear answers and that I am not being given clear answers to provide 
them,” he said. “We have no choice but to direct them to the health 
department and some of the hospital systems.”

Another troubling 
point for Goldman, who served as a liaison between the American College 
of Physicians and the expert panel drawing up the CDC distribution 
guidelines, is the tremendous variation in how those recommendations are
 being implemented in the states.

The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations-process.html" target="_blank">recommends</a>
 several phases, with front-line health care workers and nursing home 
residents and staff in the initial group. Then, in the second part of 
that phase, come people over 75 and non-health care front-line workers, 
which could include first responders, teachers and other designated 
essential workers.

States have the flexibility to design their own
 rollout schedule and priority groups. Florida, for example, is offering
 doses to anyone 65 and up. In some counties, older folks were told 
vaccines were available on a first-come, first-served basis, a move that
 has resulted in long lines.

“To say right now, 65-plus, when you 
haven’t even appropriately vaccinated all the health care workers, is 
negating the phasing,” said Goldman. “There needs to be a national 
standard. We have those guidelines. We need to come up with some 
oversight.”

On Thursday, the American Hospital Association echoed 
that concern in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex 
Azar. Hospitals — along with health departments and large pharmacy 
chains — are doing the bulk of the vaccinations.

Calling for additional coordination by federal officials, the <a href="https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2021/01/aha-hhs-leadership-actions-needed-expedite-administration-covid-19-vaccines-lettetr-1-7-20.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a>
 outlined what it would take to reach the goal of vaccinating 75% of 
Americans by the end of May: 1.8 million vaccinations every day. Noting 
there are 64 different rollout plans from states, cities and other 
jurisdictions, the letter asked whether HHS has “assessed whether these 
plans, taken as a whole, are capable of achieving this level of 
vaccination?”

Lack of direct national 
support or strategy means each county is essentially on its own, with 
success or failure affected by available resources and the experience of
 local officials. Most state and local health departments are 
underfunded and are under intense pressure because of the surging 
pandemic.

Still, the success of vaccination efforts depends on planning, preparation and clear communication.

In
 Lorain County, Ohio, population 310,000, local officials started 
practicing in October, said Mark Adams, deputy health commissioner. They
 set up mass vaccination clinics for influenza to study what would be 
needed for a covid vaccination effort. How many staff? What would the 
traffic flow be like? Could patients be kept 6 feet apart?

“That 
gave us an idea of what is good, what is bad and what needs to change,” 
said Adams, who has had previous experience coordinating mass 
vaccination efforts at a county level.

So, when the county got its
 first shipment of 500 doses Dec. 21, Adams had his plan ready. He 
called the fire chiefs to invite all emergency medical technicians and 
affiliated personnel to an ad hoc vaccination center set up at a large 
entertainment venue staffed by his health department. Upon arrival, 
people were greeted at the door and directed to spaced-apart “lanes” 
where they would get their shots, then to a monitoring area where they 
could wait for 15 minutes to make sure they didn’t have a reaction.

Right
 after Christmas, another 400 doses arrived — and the makeshift clinic 
opened again. This time, doses went to community-based physicians, 
dentists and other hands-on medical practitioners, 600 of whom had 
previously signed up. (Hospital workers and nursing home staff and 
residents are getting their vaccinations through their own 
institutions.)

As they move into the next phase — recipients 
include residents over 80, people with developmental disorders and 
school staff — the challenges will grow, he said. The county plans a 
multipronged approach to notify people when it’s their turn, including 
use of a website, the local media, churches, other organizations and 
word-of-mouth.

Adams shares the concerns of medical providers 
nationwide: He gets only two days’ notice of how many doses he’s going 
to receive and, at the current pace of 400 or 500 doses a week, it’s 
going to take a while before most residents in the county have a chance 
to get a shot, including the estimated 33,000 people 65 and older.

With
 10 nurses, his clinic can inject about 1,200 people a day. But many 
other health professionals have volunteered to administer the shots if 
he gets more doses.

“If I were to run three clinics, five days a 
week, I could do 15,000 vaccinations a week,” Adams said. “With all the 
volunteers, I could do almost six clinics, or 30,000 a week.”

Still,
 for those in the last public group, those age 18 and up without 
underlying medical conditions, “it could be summer,” Adams said.

<a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/" target="_blank">Kaiser Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the <a href="http://www.kff.org/" target="_blank">Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation</a> which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

By JULIE APPLEBY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-14/private-practice-doctors-patients-wonder-when-its-their-turn-for-the-covid-19-vaccine">Kaiser Health News</a>Dr. Andrew Carroll — a family doctor in Chandler, Arizona — wants to 
help his patients get immunized against covid, so he paid more than 
$4,000 to buy an ultra-low-temperature freezer from eBay needed to store
 the Pfizer vaccine.But he’s not sure he’ll get a chance to use 
it, given health officials have so far not said when private doctor’s 
offices will get vaccine.“I’m really angry,” said Carroll.Not
 only are doctors having trouble getting vaccine for patients, but many 
of the community-based physicians and medical staff that aren’t employed
 by hospitals or health systems also report mixed results in getting 
inoculated. Some have had their shots, yet others are still waiting, 
even though health workers providing direct care to patients are in the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s top-priority group.Many
 of these doctors say they don’t know when — or if — they will get doses
 for their patients, which will soon become a bigger issue as states 
attempt to vaccinate more people.“The reason that’s important is 
patients trust their doctors when it comes to the vaccine,” said 
Carroll, who has complained on social media that his county hasn’t yet 
released plans on how primary care doctors will be brought into the 
loop.Collectively, physicians in the county could vaccinate 
thousands of patients a day, he said, and might draw some who would 
otherwise be hesitant if they had to go to a large hospital, a 
fairground or another central site.His concern comes as, 
nationally, the rollout of the vaccine is off to a slower start than 
expected, lagging far behind the initial goal of giving 20 million doses
 before the new year.But Dr. Jen Brull, a family practice doctor 
in Plainville, Kansas, said her rural area has made good progress on the
 first phase of vaccinations, crediting close working relationships 
formed well before the pandemic.This fall, before any doses 
became available, the local hospital, the health department and 
physician offices coordinated a sign-up list for medical workers who 
wanted the vaccine. So, when their county, with a population of 5,000, 
got its first 70 doses, they were ready to go. Another 80 doses came a 
week later.“We’ll be able to vaccinate almost all the health care-associated folks who wanted it in the county” Brull said recently<h2>Gaps in the Rollout</h2>But that’s not the case everywhere.Dr.
 Jason Goldman, an internist in Coral Springs, Florida, said he was able
 to get vaccinated at a local hospital that received the bulk of 
vaccines in his county and oversaw distribution.In the weeks since, however, he said several of his front-line staff members still “don’t have access to the vaccine.”Additionally,
 “a tremendous number” of patients are calling his office because 
Florida has relaxed distribution guidelines to include anyone over age 
65, Goldman said, asking when they can get the vaccine. He’s applied to 
officials about distributing the vaccines through his practice but has 
heard nothing back.Patients “are frustrated that they do not have
 clear answers and that I am not being given clear answers to provide 
them,” he said. “We have no choice but to direct them to the health 
department and some of the hospital systems.”Another troubling 
point for Goldman, who served as a liaison between the American College 
of Physicians and the expert panel drawing up the CDC distribution 
guidelines, is the tremendous variation in how those recommendations are
 being implemented in the states.The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations-process.html" target="_blank">recommends</a>
 several phases, with front-line health care workers and nursing home 
residents and staff in the initial group. Then, in the second part of 
that phase, come people over 75 and non-health care front-line workers, 
which could include first responders, teachers and other designated 
essential workers.States have the flexibility to design their own
 rollout schedule and priority groups. Florida, for example, is offering
 doses to anyone 65 and up. In some counties, older folks were told 
vaccines were available on a first-come, first-served basis, a move that
 has resulted in long lines.“To say right now, 65-plus, when you 
haven’t even appropriately vaccinated all the health care workers, is 
negating the phasing,” said Goldman. “There needs to be a national 
standard. We have those guidelines. We need to come up with some 
oversight.”On Thursday, the American Hospital Association echoed 
that concern in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex 
Azar. Hospitals — along with health departments and large pharmacy 
chains — are doing the bulk of the vaccinations.Calling for additional coordination by federal officials, the <a href="https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2021/01/aha-hhs-leadership-actions-needed-expedite-administration-covid-19-vaccines-lettetr-1-7-20.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a>
 outlined what it would take to reach the goal of vaccinating 75% of 
Americans by the end of May: 1.8 million vaccinations every day. Noting 
there are 64 different rollout plans from states, cities and other 
jurisdictions, the letter asked whether HHS has “assessed whether these 
plans, taken as a whole, are capable of achieving this level of 
vaccination?”<h2>Making It Work</h2>Lack of direct national 
support or strategy means each county is essentially on its own, with 
success or failure affected by available resources and the experience of
 local officials. Most state and local health departments are 
underfunded and are under intense pressure because of the surging 
pandemic.Still, the success of vaccination efforts depends on planning, preparation and clear communication.In
 Lorain County, Ohio, population 310,000, local officials started 
practicing in October, said Mark Adams, deputy health commissioner. They
 set up mass vaccination clinics for influenza to study what would be 
needed for a covid vaccination effort. How many staff? What would the 
traffic flow be like? Could patients be kept 6 feet apart?“That 
gave us an idea of what is good, what is bad and what needs to change,” 
said Adams, who has had previous experience coordinating mass 
vaccination efforts at a county level.So, when the county got its
 first shipment of 500 doses Dec. 21, Adams had his plan ready. He 
called the fire chiefs to invite all emergency medical technicians and 
affiliated personnel to an ad hoc vaccination center set up at a large 
entertainment venue staffed by his health department. Upon arrival, 
people were greeted at the door and directed to spaced-apart “lanes” 
where they would get their shots, then to a monitoring area where they 
could wait for 15 minutes to make sure they didn’t have a reaction.Right
 after Christmas, another 400 doses arrived — and the makeshift clinic 
opened again. This time, doses went to community-based physicians, 
dentists and other hands-on medical practitioners, 600 of whom had 
previously signed up. (Hospital workers and nursing home staff and 
residents are getting their vaccinations through their own 
institutions.)As they move into the next phase — recipients 
include residents over 80, people with developmental disorders and 
school staff — the challenges will grow, he said. The county plans a 
multipronged approach to notify people when it’s their turn, including 
use of a website, the local media, churches, other organizations and 
word-of-mouth.Adams shares the concerns of medical providers 
nationwide: He gets only two days’ notice of how many doses he’s going 
to receive and, at the current pace of 400 or 500 doses a week, it’s 
going to take a while before most residents in the county have a chance 
to get a shot, including the estimated 33,000 people 65 and older.With
 10 nurses, his clinic can inject about 1,200 people a day. But many 
other health professionals have volunteered to administer the shots if 
he gets more doses.“If I were to run three clinics, five days a 
week, I could do 15,000 vaccinations a week,” Adams said. “With all the 
volunteers, I could do almost six clinics, or 30,000 a week.”Still,
 for those in the last public group, those age 18 and up without 
underlying medical conditions, “it could be summer,” Adams said.<a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/" target="_blank">Kaiser Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the <a href="http://www.kff.org/" target="_blank">Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation</a> which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Private practice docs, patients wonder when it’s their turn for vaccine 

Pottawatomie County officials reported on Friday that there were 1 new positive COVID-19 cases.&nbsp;

In the county there are 56 active cases, down 13 from the previous report. Four people are currently hospitalized. Eight people have died.

The Sign-Up site is up and running!&nbsp; Please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://pottcounty.govbuilt.com/vaccinesignup" target="_blank">https://pottcounty.govbuilt.com/vaccinesignup</a>&nbsp;to add your name to the list, or you may call 785-457-1432; leave a message with your contact information and someone will call you back to get the information to add you to the list.&nbsp; Please note it may take a day or so for someone to return you call, this is a very popular feature!&nbsp; T

he second “phase” for vaccines has not started yet. We are not sure when they will open this up. As soon as we have more information, we will share that with you.

The Pottawatomie County health Department is still currently working on getting medical personnel vaccinated. They initially received 100 doses, those are gone. More doses were received yesterday and are going out to health care workers from our list.

Pottawatomie County officials reported on Friday that there were 1 new positive COVID-19 cases.&nbsp;In the county there are 56 active cases, down 13 from the previous report. Four people are currently hospitalized. Eight people have died.The Sign-Up site is up and running!&nbsp; Please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://pottcounty.govbuilt.com/vaccinesignup" target="_blank">https://pottcounty.govbuilt.com/vaccinesignup</a>&nbsp;to add your name to the list, or you may call 785-457-1432; leave a message with your contact information and someone will call you back to get the information to add you to the list.&nbsp; Please note it may take a day or so for someone to return you call, this is a very popular feature!&nbsp; The second “phase” for vaccines has not started yet. We are not sure when they will open this up. As soon as we have more information, we will share that with you.The Pottawatomie County health Department is still currently working on getting medical personnel vaccinated. They initially received 100 doses, those are gone. More doses were received yesterday and are going out to health care workers from our list.

Pottawatomie update their COVID-19 information

An 85-year-old male died last week after testing positive for COVID-19. The man tested positive on December 28, 2020, and passed away on January 8, 2021. His passing represents the 23rd death in Riley County.&nbsp;

Riley County has identified 130 new positive cases and 64 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, January 13, 2021.&nbsp;

Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 23 positive patients and 1 PUI. A Person Under Investigation is someone experiencing symptoms who is waiting for test results. Three of the positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit.&nbsp;

We are scheduled to finish administering the first dose of the vaccine to healthcare professionals in Riley County who submitted their information. We will begin vaccinating some people in Phase 2 starting next week. You will be contacted directly by the health department with information on how to receive your vaccine. Anyone included in Phase 1 who has not received their first dose, is still eligible and should contact the Riley County Health Department at&nbsp;covid19vaccine@rileycountyks.gov.&nbsp;

As of 11:30 a.m. today, the online coronavirus vaccine signup and phone line are temporarily unavailable as we work with our website developer to update the form for new applicants. We have received over 8,000 people who have signed up so far. We hope the online form and phone line will be available again later this afternoon and will send out an update when they are available again for signups. Thank you for your understanding and patience.&nbsp;

When the form and phone line are restored, you can sign up to receive the coronavirus vaccine through our website here:&nbsp;<a href="https://gmail.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=95221c46aac4689e49a7c0bfc&amp;id=5143646051&amp;e=fd06d17886" target="_blank">www.RileyCountyKS.gov/VaccineRequest</a>&nbsp;or call Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.: (785) 565-6560.&nbsp;

Please be patient as we are experiencing a high volume of requests.&nbsp;

Riley County Statistics for Friday, January 15:

An 85-year-old male died last week after testing positive for COVID-19. The man tested positive on December 28, 2020, and passed away on January 8, 2021. His passing represents the 23rd death in Riley County.&nbsp;Riley County has identified 130 new positive cases and 64 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, January 13, 2021.&nbsp;Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 23 positive patients and 1 PUI. A Person Under Investigation is someone experiencing symptoms who is waiting for test results. Three of the positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit.&nbsp;We are scheduled to finish administering the first dose of the vaccine to healthcare professionals in Riley County who submitted their information. We will begin vaccinating some people in Phase 2 starting next week. You will be contacted directly by the health department with information on how to receive your vaccine. Anyone included in Phase 1 who has not received their first dose, is still eligible and should contact the Riley County Health Department at&nbsp;covid19vaccine@rileycountyks.gov.&nbsp;Phase 1 includes:<ol>
 <li>Healthcare workers</li><li>Long Term Care Facilities</li><li>Emergency Medical Services</li>
 </ol>Phase 2 includes:&nbsp;<ol>
 <li>Adults 65 and Older</li><li>First Responders</li><li>K-12 Teachers and Staff</li><li>Licensed Child Care, Preschools, After School Care, Child Care Licensing Staff</li><li>Emergency Shelter and Domestic Violence Homes, Adult Group Care Homes, Residential Treatment Centers, Adult&nbsp;and Child Protective Services</li><li>Public Transportation</li>
 </ol>As of 11:30 a.m. today, the online coronavirus vaccine signup and phone line are temporarily unavailable as we work with our website developer to update the form for new applicants. We have received over 8,000 people who have signed up so far. We hope the online form and phone line will be available again later this afternoon and will send out an update when they are available again for signups. Thank you for your understanding and patience.&nbsp;When the form and phone line are restored, you can sign up to receive the coronavirus vaccine through our website here:&nbsp;<a href="https://gmail.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=95221c46aac4689e49a7c0bfc&amp;id=5143646051&amp;e=fd06d17886" target="_blank">www.RileyCountyKS.gov/VaccineRequest</a>&nbsp;or call Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.: (785) 565-6560.&nbsp;Please be patient as we are experiencing a high volume of requests.&nbsp;Riley County Statistics for Friday, January 15:<ol>
 <li>Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 5,597</li><li>Total active:&nbsp; 545</li><li>Total recovered: 5,029</li><li>Total deaths: 23</li>
 </ol>

Riley County Health releases COVID-19 update

The Riley County Health Department is proactively working to compile names and contact information for those who would like to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available. The plan for distribution will be based upon a pre-determined phasing system created using guidance from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

If you are interested in receiving the coronavirus vaccine in the future, please go to our website and sign up here:&nbsp;<a href="https://gmail.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=95221c46aac4689e49a7c0bfc&amp;id=6c9106ffd8&amp;e=fd06d17886" target="_blank">www.RileyCountyKS.gov/VaccineRequest</a>. Vaccines are not available to the general public right now.

If you prefer to sign up by phone, please call Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon or from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and provide your information over the phone:&nbsp;785-565-6560. If you do not reach someone, please leave a message with your first and last name and phone number and someone will call you back as soon as possible.&nbsp;

“We are extremely grateful for the public’s eagerness to receive the coronavirus vaccine to help stop the spread and protect our community,” Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs said. “We understand the high interest in becoming immunized as quickly as possible throughout Riley County. The data collected in the online form will help us to easily communicate with the public when vaccines are available and advise people how to promptly receive them.”&nbsp;

The information you provide will be used to contact you with further instructions when vaccine doses are available for you. Distribution will take place in a phased approach depending on age, health condition, and occupation. A verification process will be in place to ensure participants are eligible for vaccination based on age or a high-risk medical condition listed on the form. Proof of residence in Riley County will also be required.

Riley County is currently in Phase 1 of the vaccine distribution plan. Vaccine availability is based on vaccine supply and when state distribution occurs.&nbsp;

For more information about Riley County’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, visit the Riley County website at&nbsp;<a href="https://gmail.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=95221c46aac4689e49a7c0bfc&amp;id=dcec40452c&amp;e=fd06d17886" target="_blank">www.rileycountyks.gov/coronavirus</a>, follow RCHD on Facebook at&nbsp;<a href="https://gmail.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=95221c46aac4689e49a7c0bfc&amp;id=32340ea118&amp;e=fd06d17886" target="_blank">/Rileycountyhealthdepartment/</a>&nbsp;and Twitter @RileyCoHealth.

The Riley County Health Department is proactively working to compile names and contact information for those who would like to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available. The plan for distribution will be based upon a pre-determined phasing system created using guidance from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.If you are interested in receiving the coronavirus vaccine in the future, please go to our website and sign up here:&nbsp;<a href="https://gmail.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=95221c46aac4689e49a7c0bfc&amp;id=6c9106ffd8&amp;e=fd06d17886" target="_blank">www.RileyCountyKS.gov/VaccineRequest</a>. Vaccines are not available to the general public right now.If you prefer to sign up by phone, please call Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon or from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and provide your information over the phone:&nbsp;785-565-6560. If you do not reach someone, please leave a message with your first and last name and phone number and someone will call you back as soon as possible.&nbsp;“We are extremely grateful for the public’s eagerness to receive the coronavirus vaccine to help stop the spread and protect our community,” Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs said. “We understand the high interest in becoming immunized as quickly as possible throughout Riley County. The data collected in the online form will help us to easily communicate with the public when vaccines are available and advise people how to promptly receive them.”&nbsp;The information you provide will be used to contact you with further instructions when vaccine doses are available for you. Distribution will take place in a phased approach depending on age, health condition, and occupation. A verification process will be in place to ensure participants are eligible for vaccination based on age or a high-risk medical condition listed on the form. Proof of residence in Riley County will also be required.Riley County is currently in Phase 1 of the vaccine distribution plan. Vaccine availability is based on vaccine supply and when state distribution occurs.&nbsp;Phase 1 includes:<ul>
 <li>Healthcare workers</li><li>Long Term Care Facilities</li><li>Emergency Medical Services</li>
 </ul>Phase 2 will include:&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>Adults 65 and Older</li><li>First Responders</li><li>K-12 Teachers and Staff</li><li>Licensed Child Care, Preschools, After School Care, Child Care Licensing Staff</li><li>Emergency Shelter and Domestic Violence Homes, Adult Group Care Homes, Residential Treatment Centers, Adult and Child Protective Services</li><li>Public Transportation</li>
 </ul>For more information about Riley County’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, visit the Riley County website at&nbsp;<a href="https://gmail.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=95221c46aac4689e49a7c0bfc&amp;id=dcec40452c&amp;e=fd06d17886" target="_blank">www.rileycountyks.gov/coronavirus</a>, follow RCHD on Facebook at&nbsp;<a href="https://gmail.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=95221c46aac4689e49a7c0bfc&amp;id=32340ea118&amp;e=fd06d17886" target="_blank">/Rileycountyhealthdepartment/</a>&nbsp;and Twitter @RileyCoHealth.

Sign up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine

Kansas State University's Lafene Health Center has been selected as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/covid-19/vaccine/">vaccine distribution site</a>. The university will be receiving and administering vaccines for students, faculty and staff based on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/121/Vaccine-Prioritization-Slides-PDF" target="_blank">state and local priority groups&nbsp;</a>and vaccine availability. Vaccines are not available at this time.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is responsible for allocating vaccines across the state. Lafene has not received vaccines yet or been given a date of vaccine delivery. However, the university is actively preparing for distribution so that vaccines can be administered as soon as possible after arrival.

Kansas State University's Lafene Health Center has been selected as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/covid-19/vaccine/">vaccine distribution site</a>. The university will be receiving and administering vaccines for students, faculty and staff based on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/121/Vaccine-Prioritization-Slides-PDF" target="_blank">state and local priority groups&nbsp;</a>and vaccine availability. Vaccines are not available at this time.The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is responsible for allocating vaccines across the state. Lafene has not received vaccines yet or been given a date of vaccine delivery. However, the university is actively preparing for distribution so that vaccines can be administered as soon as possible after arrival.

Lafene Health Center selected as a COVID-19 vaccine distribution site

MANHATTAN, Kan. – A Kansas State University nutrition specialist says a newly published study of early health impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic is further testimony to the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight.&nbsp;

Sandy Procter said an important message from the research – which included more than 7,700 people from around the world – is that people who were considered obese experienced more negative impacts during the early stages of the pandemic.&nbsp;

During the early stages, when lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were more common, “those who were obese were found to be more likely to have gained weight,” Procter said. “And they were more likely to report increased stress during that time.”&nbsp;

The research, conducted by a team of international scientists, took place in April and May, 2020 and was peer-reviewed early last summer. The findings, and related articles, are published in the&nbsp;<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/1930739x/2020/28/12" target="_blank">December issue of the journal, Obesity</a>.&nbsp;

The study’s data compared people who were considered normal weight, overweight or obese. One portion of a related study – also in the December issue of Obesity – concluded that obesity doubles the mortality rate in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. &nbsp;

“If you can recall back to the early lockdown period, I truly feel like we were all kind of suspended,” Procter said. “Everything ground to a halt. Some of the initial health effects noted in COVID patients were more profound in at-risk groups that needed helpful support, especially persons with pre-existing conditions, including obesity. ”&nbsp;

For most, the lockdown period meant adjusting their daily routine, including when they sleep, go to work and, perhaps, exercise. Some did it better than others.&nbsp;

“There were 10% of the people in this study who found that their sleep quality improved,” Procter said. “And those who&nbsp; found themselves without long commutes found they had more time to exercise. It was maybe a change in how they did it, but there was more time in their day for healthful activities.”&nbsp;

Yet, she added, “some of those opportunities are not as available to everyone across the board.”&nbsp;

“So the effect of the stress caused by the pandemic has become noticeable among different parts of the population.”&nbsp;

The disruption in lifestyles did also provide another important reminder, according to Procter.&nbsp;

“If we’re smart, we’re going to keep a closer eye on our own self-care and realize that there may be many opportunities… to support our health,” she said. “But when it comes down to it, it really has a lot to do with personal awareness of our health and the variety of factors that we can address.”&nbsp;

It seems to be a valid point because stress, as Procter points out, won’t go away once the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. There will still be jobs to go to, school to attend, kids to take care of, and other responsibilities.&nbsp;

“My hope is that, ideally, the emphasis that communities are placing on having resources that support mental health and identifying situations where people are at risk –preventative health steps -- will become more commonplace,” Procter said, “and that there will be more resources and attention paid to those areas.”&nbsp;

Tips for healthy living are available&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hhs.k-state.edu/fndh" target="_blank">online from K-State Research and Extension.</a>&nbsp;

MANHATTAN, Kan. – A Kansas State University nutrition specialist says a newly published study of early health impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic is further testimony to the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight.&nbsp;Sandy Procter said an important message from the research – which included more than 7,700 people from around the world – is that people who were considered obese experienced more negative impacts during the early stages of the pandemic.&nbsp;During the early stages, when lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were more common, “those who were obese were found to be more likely to have gained weight,” Procter said. “And they were more likely to report increased stress during that time.”&nbsp;The research, conducted by a team of international scientists, took place in April and May, 2020 and was peer-reviewed early last summer. The findings, and related articles, are published in the&nbsp;<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/1930739x/2020/28/12" target="_blank">December issue of the journal, Obesity</a>.&nbsp;The study’s data compared people who were considered normal weight, overweight or obese. One portion of a related study – also in the December issue of Obesity – concluded that obesity doubles the mortality rate in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. &nbsp;“If you can recall back to the early lockdown period, I truly feel like we were all kind of suspended,” Procter said. “Everything ground to a halt. Some of the initial health effects noted in COVID patients were more profound in at-risk groups that needed helpful support, especially persons with pre-existing conditions, including obesity. ”&nbsp;For most, the lockdown period meant adjusting their daily routine, including when they sleep, go to work and, perhaps, exercise. Some did it better than others.&nbsp;“There were 10% of the people in this study who found that their sleep quality improved,” Procter said. “And those who&nbsp; found themselves without long commutes found they had more time to exercise. It was maybe a change in how they did it, but there was more time in their day for healthful activities.”&nbsp;Yet, she added, “some of those opportunities are not as available to everyone across the board.”&nbsp;“So the effect of the stress caused by the pandemic has become noticeable among different parts of the population.”&nbsp;The disruption in lifestyles did also provide another important reminder, according to Procter.&nbsp;“If we’re smart, we’re going to keep a closer eye on our own self-care and realize that there may be many opportunities… to support our health,” she said. “But when it comes down to it, it really has a lot to do with personal awareness of our health and the variety of factors that we can address.”&nbsp;It seems to be a valid point because stress, as Procter points out, won’t go away once the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. There will still be jobs to go to, school to attend, kids to take care of, and other responsibilities.&nbsp;“My hope is that, ideally, the emphasis that communities are placing on having resources that support mental health and identifying situations where people are at risk –preventative health steps -- will become more commonplace,” Procter said, “and that there will be more resources and attention paid to those areas.”&nbsp;Tips for healthy living are available&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hhs.k-state.edu/fndh" target="_blank">online from K-State Research and Extension.</a>&nbsp;

Maintain a healthy weight

Fort Riley officials issued a COVID-19 statement via social media on Friday.

In 2020, we fought the virus on the defense—the wear of face coverings, physical distancing, sanitation, and travel and occupancy restrictions helped quell the spread. While we must continue to apply defensive measures, for the first time we are attacking! At Fort Riley, 100% of our volunteering first responders and emergency medical care personnel have been inoculated with a safe and effective vaccine approved by the Federal Drug Administration. Now more than ever, we need everyone to keep up the fight. As expected, we are experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases. However, again and again we are seeing individuals and families preventing the spread by observing the appropriate movement restrictions. To maintain this momentum, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/covid19?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__[0]=AZUrSrnG6RYyFkHoY2_X5z7YY3Awwlslsvtz0OMETJrBTl8wszHbKmWfB_qCTUoXdsyyXCBvxu6aD_ndqcIyppLnKaWNCNQWlrbTtJOUe3MpvJ1SegbrnSc1cAyDfutd3mYOyZr8Tm3mW8h3P_U19zSD&amp;__tn__=*NK-R">#COVID-19</a> General Order has been updated with the following: •

 Social gatherings and visitations are prohibited inside all housing on the installation. • 

Service members are prohibited from having or attending social gatherings inside any home/barracks on or off the installation.• These prohibitions apply to parties, dinners, social clubs, meetings, social visits, and similar activities.• These prohibitions do not apply to visits with immediate family members, duty-related activities, childcare, tutoring, welfare checks, providing care for an individual or pet, repair or cleaning services, and similar nonsocial activities. *

While conducting any authorized activity, individuals will maintain a distance of six feet from one another, abide by sanitation requirements, and wear face coverings when physical distancing requirements cannot be met. 

The arrival of the vaccine and first series of inoculations is only the start of our offensive against the virus. In conjunction with our defensive efforts, our generation can also achieve a great Victory. Keep it up!&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Fort Riley officials issued a COVID-19 statement via social media on Friday.In 2020, we fought the virus on the defense—the wear of face coverings, physical distancing, sanitation, and travel and occupancy restrictions helped quell the spread. While we must continue to apply defensive measures, for the first time we are attacking! At Fort Riley, 100% of our volunteering first responders and emergency medical care personnel have been inoculated with a safe and effective vaccine approved by the Federal Drug Administration. Now more than ever, we need everyone to keep up the fight. As expected, we are experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases. However, again and again we are seeing individuals and families preventing the spread by observing the appropriate movement restrictions. To maintain this momentum, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/covid19?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__[0]=AZUrSrnG6RYyFkHoY2_X5z7YY3Awwlslsvtz0OMETJrBTl8wszHbKmWfB_qCTUoXdsyyXCBvxu6aD_ndqcIyppLnKaWNCNQWlrbTtJOUe3MpvJ1SegbrnSc1cAyDfutd3mYOyZr8Tm3mW8h3P_U19zSD&amp;__tn__=*NK-R">#COVID-19</a> General Order has been updated with the following: • Social gatherings and visitations are prohibited inside all housing on the installation. • Service members are prohibited from having or attending social gatherings inside any home/barracks on or off the installation.• These prohibitions apply to parties, dinners, social clubs, meetings, social visits, and similar activities.• These prohibitions do not apply to visits with immediate family members, duty-related activities, childcare, tutoring, welfare checks, providing care for an individual or pet, repair or cleaning services, and similar nonsocial activities. *While conducting any authorized activity, individuals will maintain a distance of six feet from one another, abide by sanitation requirements, and wear face coverings when physical distancing requirements cannot be met. The arrival of the vaccine and first series of inoculations is only the start of our offensive against the virus. In conjunction with our defensive efforts, our generation can also achieve a great Victory. Keep it up!&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Fort Riley updates COVID-19 General Order

&nbsp;Riley County has identified 105 new positive cases and 24 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.&nbsp;

Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 14 positive patients and 1 PUI. A Person Under Investigation is someone experiencing symptoms who is waiting for test results.&nbsp;

On Monday, January 4, we released a chart with the expected vaccine availability by group in Riley County. On Thursday, January 7, Governor Laura Kelly announced new priority guidance for Kansans beyond healthcare workers and long-term care facilities. The Riley County Health Department will update our plan to include the state’s guidance to prioritize those 65 and older to a higher phase and include all healthcare workers in the first phase.&nbsp;

Information and phases may be updated based on federal and state guidance. Availability of vaccines will be dependent on supply and when local distribution occurs in Riley County. We will share updated information to help explain the process and have resources available to aid the public in better understanding when vaccines may be available to different people and groups. The new resources will be shared in the coming week. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to provide information on this evolving situation.&nbsp;

Riley County has only received 1 shipment of Moderna vaccines from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment containing 200 doses. Additional vaccines were provided in collaboration with Konza Prairie Community Health Center allowing the RCHD to vaccinate nearly 500 people so far. We are set to receive a shipment of boosters late next week to complete the required 2nd dose of the vaccine needed for the immunization process. Only people who have already received the first vaccine will receive the booster vaccines from this second shipment.&nbsp;

The Riley County Health Department will offer free nasal swab PCR testing on Monday, January 11th at:&nbsp;

Additional testing sites may be added in the future. No appointments are needed for the nasal-swab testing in Randolph by the Health Department.&nbsp;

Riley County Statistics for Friday, January 8th:

&nbsp;Riley County has identified 105 new positive cases and 24 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.&nbsp;Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 14 positive patients and 1 PUI. A Person Under Investigation is someone experiencing symptoms who is waiting for test results.&nbsp;On Monday, January 4, we released a chart with the expected vaccine availability by group in Riley County. On Thursday, January 7, Governor Laura Kelly announced new priority guidance for Kansans beyond healthcare workers and long-term care facilities. The Riley County Health Department will update our plan to include the state’s guidance to prioritize those 65 and older to a higher phase and include all healthcare workers in the first phase.&nbsp;Information and phases may be updated based on federal and state guidance. Availability of vaccines will be dependent on supply and when local distribution occurs in Riley County. We will share updated information to help explain the process and have resources available to aid the public in better understanding when vaccines may be available to different people and groups. The new resources will be shared in the coming week. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to provide information on this evolving situation.&nbsp;Riley County has only received 1 shipment of Moderna vaccines from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment containing 200 doses. Additional vaccines were provided in collaboration with Konza Prairie Community Health Center allowing the RCHD to vaccinate nearly 500 people so far. We are set to receive a shipment of boosters late next week to complete the required 2nd dose of the vaccine needed for the immunization process. Only people who have already received the first vaccine will receive the booster vaccines from this second shipment.&nbsp;The Riley County Health Department will offer free nasal swab PCR testing on Monday, January 11th at:&nbsp;The United Methodist Church105 East Garrison Road&nbsp;Randolph, Kansas 6655411 a.m. - 1 p.m.&nbsp;Additional testing sites may be added in the future. No appointments are needed for the nasal-swab testing in Randolph by the Health Department.&nbsp;Riley County Statistics for Friday, January 8th:<ul>
 <li>Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 5,278</li><li>Total active:&nbsp; 462</li><li>Total recovered: 4,794</li><li>Total deaths: 22</li>
 </ul>

Riley County health updates the COVID-19 numbers

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas expects to finish giving COVID-19 vaccines to long-term care residents and health care workers by the end of this month and has moved people aged 65 and older into the next group to receive the shots.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday announced new details about the order in which her state’s residents will be eligible for inoculations, and making people aged 65 to 74 years an earlier priority was the biggest shift.

The state’s previous plan had that age group getting theirs after people in “congregate” living, such as state hospitals, shelters for the homeless, and prisons.

The governor’s comments last month that prisoners would get vaccinated relatively early prompted scathing comments from the Kansas Republican Party and leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

But Kelly said during a Statehouse news conference, “This is all based on science.”

<a href="https://twitter.com/KansasGOP/status/1347315181769129988" target="_blank">The Kansas GOP tweeted</a>&nbsp;that Kelly “listened to us” in moving older Kansans up in line but added: “It’s a bad thing prisoners remain in the same phase as those seniors. Prioritize law-abiding Kansans first!”

The American Medical Association&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-policy-calls-more-covid-19-prevention-congregate-settings" target="_blank">adopted a policy</a>&nbsp;in November calling for prisons to have priority in getting vaccines, with one board member calling it among the steps vital to stopping the spread of the virus.&nbsp;<a href="https://justicelab.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/COVID_Vaccine_White_Paper.pdf" target="_blank">A report in December</a>&nbsp;from professors of medicine at Yale, Columbia and the University of North Carolina called for giving inmates vaccines early, saying outbreaks in prisons and jails “spill over to the community.”

“My administration will make our decisions based on what the doctors, the public health experts and the science tells us, not the politics,” Kelly said.

Kelly released the updated vaccine rollout plan, with a chart designed to make its five phases easier to follow, amid concerns that the process was moving too slowly.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Kansas last among states for its inoculation rate per 100,000 residents. That was no longer the case in&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank">a CDC report</a>&nbsp;Thursday, with five states trailing Kansas.

The CDC’s data said 36,538 vaccine shots had been given in Kansas, or 1,254 per 100,000 residents. Kelly told reporters the actual figure is 45,872, or almost 26% higher and 1,575 for every 100,000 residents.

Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state Department of Health and Environment, said he believes the true number of shots given could be nearly twice Kelly’s figure, about 90,000.

“People are not sitting on the vaccines and keeping it in storage,” Norman said. “They’re giving it into people’s arms.”

The state’s revised vaccine distribution plan shows that the second group to get shots also will include critical workers including firefighters, law enforcement officers, meatpacking employees, grocery store workers, teachers and child-care workers.

The third phase includes people aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions that put them at severe risk if they are infected with COVID-19, including cancer and Type 2 diabetes, as well as workers in critical industries such as information technology, aviation, transportation and government.

People with less severe health problems are included in the fourth phase and the fifth and final group includes everyone else.

Counties with unused vaccine doses after inoculating all health care workers and long-term care residents who wanted to be vaccinated were supposed to shift spare doses to counties in need of more. But the process is paperwork heavy, and some counties just went ahead and vaccinated people in lower priority groups, said Dennis Kriesel, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments.

He said the state should have moved quicker to explain the phases of the rollout, noting that people are desperate for information. He got one call from a woman in her 70s with lymphoma who wanted details because she hadn’t been able to see her grandchildren in a year.

“We didn’t need the vaccines to be ready to set our priorities,” he said. “We could have set the priorities months before that.”

Sedgwick County health director Adrienne Byrne said she has been getting emails from people with chronic illnesses who have hardly left their homes since March.

She said the county has administered about half of the 10,400 doses it has received and noted that the process is speeding up. A massive clinic has been set up at an arena, with staff capable of vaccinating 50 people every 15 minutes.

“Some of them are crying with relief,” she said. “I heard one gentlemen say to the person who gave him the vaccine: ‘You may have just helped save my life.’”

<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.csKEwO2cHbw8M5zi6TRutzHWqdxBIFAo23eiujJpUwU/s/1303160919/br/92812776098-l" target="_blank">View a visual representation of the distribution order here.</a>

<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTAxMDcuMzI5NTQzNTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dvdmVybm9yLmthbnNhcy5nb3Yvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjEvMDEvQUNUVUFMLVBIQVNFLUdST1VQLnBkZiJ9.E_BnrO0RAeuHPTBmfzO-dQxS4LAoUpXOaBJkO01153s/s/1303160919/br/92812776098-l" target="_blank">View informational slides regarding vaccine distribution here.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610104544544.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas expects to finish giving COVID-19 vaccines to long-term care residents and health care workers by the end of this month and has moved people aged 65 and older into the next group to receive the shots.Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday announced new details about the order in which her state’s residents will be eligible for inoculations, and making people aged 65 to 74 years an earlier priority was the biggest shift.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F707415516490444%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The state’s previous plan had that age group getting theirs after people in “congregate” living, such as state hospitals, shelters for the homeless, and prisons.The governor’s comments last month that prisoners would get vaccinated relatively early prompted scathing comments from the Kansas Republican Party and leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature.But Kelly said during a Statehouse news conference, “This is all based on science.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It’s a good thing <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovLauraKelly</a> listened to us and moved vulnerable seniors up the vaccine priority list. It’s a bad thing prisoners remain in the same phase as those seniors. Prioritize law-abiding Kansans first! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a>&mdash; Kansas GOP (@KansasGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/KansasGOP/status/1347315181769129988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://twitter.com/KansasGOP/status/1347315181769129988" target="_blank">The Kansas GOP tweeted</a>&nbsp;that Kelly “listened to us” in moving older Kansans up in line but added: “It’s a bad thing prisoners remain in the same phase as those seniors. Prioritize law-abiding Kansans first!”The American Medical Association&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-policy-calls-more-covid-19-prevention-congregate-settings" target="_blank">adopted a policy</a>&nbsp;in November calling for prisons to have priority in getting vaccines, with one board member calling it among the steps vital to stopping the spread of the virus.&nbsp;<a href="https://justicelab.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/COVID_Vaccine_White_Paper.pdf" target="_blank">A report in December</a>&nbsp;from professors of medicine at Yale, Columbia and the University of North Carolina called for giving inmates vaccines early, saying outbreaks in prisons and jails “spill over to the community.”“My administration will make our decisions based on what the doctors, the public health experts and the science tells us, not the politics,” Kelly said.Kelly released the updated vaccine rollout plan, with a chart designed to make its five phases easier to follow, amid concerns that the process was moving too slowly.On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Kansas last among states for its inoculation rate per 100,000 residents. That was no longer the case in&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank">a CDC report</a>&nbsp;Thursday, with five states trailing Kansas.The CDC’s data said 36,538 vaccine shots had been given in Kansas, or 1,254 per 100,000 residents. Kelly told reporters the actual figure is 45,872, or almost 26% higher and 1,575 for every 100,000 residents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610057822570.png" alt="Dr. Lee Norman answers questions during Thursday's news conference." />
 <figcaption>Dr. Lee Norman answers questions during Thursday's news conference.</figcaption>
 </figure>Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state Department of Health and Environment, said he believes the true number of shots given could be nearly twice Kelly’s figure, about 90,000.“People are not sitting on the vaccines and keeping it in storage,” Norman said. “They’re giving it into people’s arms.”The state’s revised vaccine distribution plan shows that the second group to get shots also will include critical workers including firefighters, law enforcement officers, meatpacking employees, grocery store workers, teachers and child-care workers.The third phase includes people aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions that put them at severe risk if they are infected with COVID-19, including cancer and Type 2 diabetes, as well as workers in critical industries such as information technology, aviation, transportation and government.People with less severe health problems are included in the fourth phase and the fifth and final group includes everyone else.Counties with unused vaccine doses after inoculating all health care workers and long-term care residents who wanted to be vaccinated were supposed to shift spare doses to counties in need of more. But the process is paperwork heavy, and some counties just went ahead and vaccinated people in lower priority groups, said Dennis Kriesel, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments.He said the state should have moved quicker to explain the phases of the rollout, noting that people are desperate for information. He got one call from a woman in her 70s with lymphoma who wanted details because she hadn’t been able to see her grandchildren in a year.“We didn’t need the vaccines to be ready to set our priorities,” he said. “We could have set the priorities months before that.”Sedgwick County health director Adrienne Byrne said she has been getting emails from people with chronic illnesses who have hardly left their homes since March.She said the county has administered about half of the 10,400 doses it has received and noted that the process is speeding up. A massive clinic has been set up at an arena, with staff capable of vaccinating 50 people every 15 minutes.“Some of them are crying with relief,” she said. “I heard one gentlemen say to the person who gave him the vaccine: ‘You may have just helped save my life.’”<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.csKEwO2cHbw8M5zi6TRutzHWqdxBIFAo23eiujJpUwU/s/1303160919/br/92812776098-l" target="_blank">View a visual representation of the distribution order here.</a><a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTAxMDcuMzI5NTQzNTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dvdmVybm9yLmthbnNhcy5nb3Yvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjEvMDEvQUNUVUFMLVBIQVNFLUdST1VQLnBkZiJ9.E_BnrO0RAeuHPTBmfzO-dQxS4LAoUpXOaBJkO01153s/s/1303160919/br/92812776098-l" target="_blank">View informational slides regarding vaccine distribution here.</a>

🎥 Older Kansans moved up in line for COVID-19 vaccination

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – January 6, 2021) Riley County has identified 140 new positive cases and 42 additional recoveries since the last report on Monday, January 4, 2021. 

Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 15 positive patients. Three of the positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit.

The Riley County Health Department is not expecting any additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to arrive this week. At this point, health departments only receive notice of vaccine arrivals a couple hours before the shipment arrives.

“We have distributed all of the coronavirus vaccine doses we have received so far. We were notified by KDHE that we will not receive a vaccine shipment this week, but we might get more doses next week,” said Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs. “On Mondays, the state receives an update about how many doses they will receive, then they work as quickly as possible to distribute across the state. It is a difficult process and we are doing everything we can to be ready at a moment’s notice.”

In order to finish the process of vaccinating all health care workers when additional shipments of the coronavirus vaccine arrive, the Riley County Health Department requests all healthcare organizations and independently contracted licensed healthcare providers to email their prioritization spreadsheets to: covid19vaccine@rileycountyks.gov

Any licensed health care provider who has not received the spreadsheet can request one using the same email above. If you are not a licensed healthcare professional and send an email to this address, we will be unable to answer due to the high volume of emails we are receiving. 

For general questions related to the COVID-19 vaccine timelines and availability, members of the public can check the FAQ information online at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rileycountyks.gov%2F1873%2FFrequently-Asked-Questions%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3bGd1-sO9rK4WQyCage7ZKO9AZoYrs5snP6jg58ySmhTY1NGdz6uSHtSM&amp;h=AT1t2yV3Nj5N3HExvbJODr7FoOCUtuo_blCCzxglhZ1oDrLJrX59DZvPwmqz_wz_2ghRiCkUQ2hj_mt7d99PZGRWyb0msFzCQQNCnmEg8cuPz5ht-XQCWscBngzSirk2KviC&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT3DDQQVnRUTkwtwGGA7olZ0a03pOl_AUi_thG2NjLGtph3c9EDDkEj144giQcIVRanmnwjr69WznHf21i8qm3orpD32wBts4MNVz-S5OAU-LboaloMTif7mN5bq5IlyNBoLKcDciuW0nP0_UqD6QMbV6G-6s5m64IITAGYd8b6YnwQ" target="_blank">https://www.rileycountyks.gov/.../Frequently-Asked-Questions</a>. Questions can also be emailed to vaccine@rileycountyks.gov At this time the health department is unable to accept requests for vaccinations for individuals or businesses. RCHD is not scheduling appointments or accepting submissions of names of individuals or businesses for coronavirus vaccines.

Riley County Statistics for Wednesday, January 6th:

Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 5,173

Week 53 (December 27-January 2): 14.5% 209 positive 1,446 total tests 

Week 52 (December 20-December 26): 11.3% 238 positive 2,106 total tests 

Two-week average: 12.58% 447 positive 3,552 total tests 

The next written update will be published on Friday, January 8th. The next video update will be today at 4:15 p.m. on the RCHD Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Rileycountyhealthdepartment/.

KDHE continues to provide testing for all Kansans with no out of pocket fees through January 31, 2021. As part of the Kansas Unified Testing Strategy, WellHealth will continue to provide free saliva-based testing today and every day, except Sundays, holidays, and severe weather days from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at CiCo Park in Manhattan through the end of January. Appointments are recommended and can be made online at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gogettested.com%2Fkansas%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3hR4zefFqnuPTfgWklJ44xb8t0B-4gBB1Tqdg8A-Zf98ZiwQCTkRINhns&amp;h=AT0RJ3wZPO8F5fx98-30T5pxtQtXWiREFPeFQGQk5_8_lcp99q-d_LOIgfMy9R8oJbuCHM0LuMvF-2ALbG0vo6-9c1LacsK4jqrmhGfRx_IPC85tX_Cr4xJAe33hIP5S1Mfh&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT3DDQQVnRUTkwtwGGA7olZ0a03pOl_AUi_thG2NjLGtph3c9EDDkEj144giQcIVRanmnwjr69WznHf21i8qm3orpD32wBts4MNVz-S5OAU-LboaloMTif7mN5bq5IlyNBoLKcDciuW0nP0_UqD6QMbV6G-6s5m64IITAGYd8b6YnwQ" target="_blank">https://www.gogettested.com/kansas</a>

<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gogettested.com%2Fkansas%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3hR4zefFqnuPTfgWklJ44xb8t0B-4gBB1Tqdg8A-Zf98ZiwQCTkRINhns&amp;h=AT0RJ3wZPO8F5fx98-30T5pxtQtXWiREFPeFQGQk5_8_lcp99q-d_LOIgfMy9R8oJbuCHM0LuMvF-2ALbG0vo6-9c1LacsK4jqrmhGfRx_IPC85tX_Cr4xJAe33hIP5S1Mfh&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT3DDQQVnRUTkwtwGGA7olZ0a03pOl_AUi_thG2NjLGtph3c9EDDkEj144giQcIVRanmnwjr69WznHf21i8qm3orpD32wBts4MNVz-S5OAU-LboaloMTif7mN5bq5IlyNBoLKcDciuW0nP0_UqD6QMbV6G-6s5m64IITAGYd8b6YnwQ" target="_blank"></a>Drive-up flu shots are available at the health department. Please make an appointment by calling 785-776-4779 ext. 7675 or schedule an appointment online at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rileycountyks.gov%2Fflu%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1mCRJWR8zmowIgViGR7MCBZAcSZ6CawZddUmavu6zKUdVqn4Dz58_uaeM&amp;h=AT3QqWjmXRyIILv3udNvELYW2EFYpaaDFEzt53YrVtTEn0R05k0Oa5RM-ftWsE0xP79UWOMQd5sQzUolYCJRPb6EJsXHdrJOHkapmcm4ztFTA7A1A56OXGghfmDW2uf9jMM_&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT3DDQQVnRUTkwtwGGA7olZ0a03pOl_AUi_thG2NjLGtph3c9EDDkEj144giQcIVRanmnwjr69WznHf21i8qm3orpD32wBts4MNVz-S5OAU-LboaloMTif7mN5bq5IlyNBoLKcDciuW0nP0_UqD6QMbV6G-6s5m64IITAGYd8b6YnwQ" target="_blank">http://www.rileycountyks.gov/flu</a>.

For more information about Riley County’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, visit the Riley County website at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rileycountyks.gov%2Fcoronavirus%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3vTnt8fJhNwUXBUM7TyHrDBlNnXxCNrCc2lUkvQMC0tpTUeIRcA1bsL5E&amp;h=AT396LMAykgTUqrjIdkxJL9OE5bvAwtrEqd3IjjjPl32l7aHB1GQuGLJgIqFlflLNOyZx0Ikny0lMgqPpRS9Q7mmZeigL6DQU_luuyJRwCwZ34etD7n12IVO_ietCfWQjO9w&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT3DDQQVnRUTkwtwGGA7olZ0a03pOl_AUi_thG2NjLGtph3c9EDDkEj144giQcIVRanmnwjr69WznHf21i8qm3orpD32wBts4MNVz-S5OAU-LboaloMTif7mN5bq5IlyNBoLKcDciuW0nP0_UqD6QMbV6G-6s5m64IITAGYd8b6YnwQ" target="_blank">www.rileycountyks.gov/coronavirus</a>, follow RCHD on Facebook at /Rileycountyhealthdepartment/ and Twitter @RileyCoHealth.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(RILEY COUNTY, KS – January 6, 2021) Riley County has identified 140 new positive cases and 42 additional recoveries since the last report on Monday, January 4, 2021. Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 15 positive patients. Three of the positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit.The Riley County Health Department is not expecting any additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to arrive this week. At this point, health departments only receive notice of vaccine arrivals a couple hours before the shipment arrives.“We have distributed all of the coronavirus vaccine doses we have received so far. We were notified by KDHE that we will not receive a vaccine shipment this week, but we might get more doses next week,” said Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs. “On Mondays, the state receives an update about how many doses they will receive, then they work as quickly as possible to distribute across the state. It is a difficult process and we are doing everything we can to be ready at a moment’s notice.”In order to finish the process of vaccinating all health care workers when additional shipments of the coronavirus vaccine arrive, the Riley County Health Department requests all healthcare organizations and independently contracted licensed healthcare providers to email their prioritization spreadsheets to: covid19vaccine@rileycountyks.govAny licensed health care provider who has not received the spreadsheet can request one using the same email above. If you are not a licensed healthcare professional and send an email to this address, we will be unable to answer due to the high volume of emails we are receiving. For general questions related to the COVID-19 vaccine timelines and availability, members of the public can check the FAQ information online at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rileycountyks.gov%2F1873%2FFrequently-Asked-Questions%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3bGd1-sO9rK4WQyCage7ZKO9AZoYrs5snP6jg58ySmhTY1NGdz6uSHtSM&amp;h=AT1t2yV3Nj5N3HExvbJODr7FoOCUtuo_blCCzxglhZ1oDrLJrX59DZvPwmqz_wz_2ghRiCkUQ2hj_mt7d99PZGRWyb0msFzCQQNCnmEg8cuPz5ht-XQCWscBngzSirk2KviC&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT3DDQQVnRUTkwtwGGA7olZ0a03pOl_AUi_thG2NjLGtph3c9EDDkEj144giQcIVRanmnwjr69WznHf21i8qm3orpD32wBts4MNVz-S5OAU-LboaloMTif7mN5bq5IlyNBoLKcDciuW0nP0_UqD6QMbV6G-6s5m64IITAGYd8b6YnwQ" target="_blank">https://www.rileycountyks.gov/.../Frequently-Asked-Questions</a>. Questions can also be emailed to vaccine@rileycountyks.gov At this time the health department is unable to accept requests for vaccinations for individuals or businesses. RCHD is not scheduling appointments or accepting submissions of names of individuals or businesses for coronavirus vaccines. Riley County Statistics for Wednesday, January 6th:Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 5,173Total active: 381Total recovered: 4,770Total deaths: 22Positive Rate: Week 53 (December 27-January 2): 14.5% 209 positive 1,446 total tests Week 52 (December 20-December 26): 11.3% 238 positive 2,106 total tests Two-week average: 12.58% 447 positive 3,552 total tests The next written update will be published on Friday, January 8th. The next video update will be today at 4:15 p.m. on the RCHD Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Rileycountyhealthdepartment/.KDHE continues to provide testing for all Kansans with no out of pocket fees through January 31, 2021. As part of the Kansas Unified Testing Strategy, WellHealth will continue to provide free saliva-based testing today and every day, except Sundays, holidays, and severe weather days from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at CiCo Park in Manhattan through the end of January. Appointments are recommended and can be made online at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gogettested.com%2Fkansas%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3hR4zefFqnuPTfgWklJ44xb8t0B-4gBB1Tqdg8A-Zf98ZiwQCTkRINhns&amp;h=AT0RJ3wZPO8F5fx98-30T5pxtQtXWiREFPeFQGQk5_8_lcp99q-d_LOIgfMy9R8oJbuCHM0LuMvF-2ALbG0vo6-9c1LacsK4jqrmhGfRx_IPC85tX_Cr4xJAe33hIP5S1Mfh&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT3DDQQVnRUTkwtwGGA7olZ0a03pOl_AUi_thG2NjLGtph3c9EDDkEj144giQcIVRanmnwjr69WznHf21i8qm3orpD32wBts4MNVz-S5OAU-LboaloMTif7mN5bq5IlyNBoLKcDciuW0nP0_UqD6QMbV6G-6s5m64IITAGYd8b6YnwQ" target="_blank">https://www.gogettested.com/kansas</a><a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gogettested.com%2Fkansas%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3hR4zefFqnuPTfgWklJ44xb8t0B-4gBB1Tqdg8A-Zf98ZiwQCTkRINhns&amp;h=AT0RJ3wZPO8F5fx98-30T5pxtQtXWiREFPeFQGQk5_8_lcp99q-d_LOIgfMy9R8oJbuCHM0LuMvF-2ALbG0vo6-9c1LacsK4jqrmhGfRx_IPC85tX_Cr4xJAe33hIP5S1Mfh&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT3DDQQVnRUTkwtwGGA7olZ0a03pOl_AUi_thG2NjLGtph3c9EDDkEj144giQcIVRanmnwjr69WznHf21i8qm3orpD32wBts4MNVz-S5OAU-LboaloMTif7mN5bq5IlyNBoLKcDciuW0nP0_UqD6QMbV6G-6s5m64IITAGYd8b6YnwQ" target="_blank"></a>Drive-up flu shots are available at the health department. Please make an appointment by calling 785-776-4779 ext. 7675 or schedule an appointment online at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rileycountyks.gov%2Fflu%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1mCRJWR8zmowIgViGR7MCBZAcSZ6CawZddUmavu6zKUdVqn4Dz58_uaeM&amp;h=AT3QqWjmXRyIILv3udNvELYW2EFYpaaDFEzt53YrVtTEn0R05k0Oa5RM-ftWsE0xP79UWOMQd5sQzUolYCJRPb6EJsXHdrJOHkapmcm4ztFTA7A1A56OXGghfmDW2uf9jMM_&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT3DDQQVnRUTkwtwGGA7olZ0a03pOl_AUi_thG2NjLGtph3c9EDDkEj144giQcIVRanmnwjr69WznHf21i8qm3orpD32wBts4MNVz-S5OAU-LboaloMTif7mN5bq5IlyNBoLKcDciuW0nP0_UqD6QMbV6G-6s5m64IITAGYd8b6YnwQ" target="_blank">http://www.rileycountyks.gov/flu</a>. For more information about Riley County’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, visit the Riley County website at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rileycountyks.gov%2Fcoronavirus%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3vTnt8fJhNwUXBUM7TyHrDBlNnXxCNrCc2lUkvQMC0tpTUeIRcA1bsL5E&amp;h=AT396LMAykgTUqrjIdkxJL9OE5bvAwtrEqd3IjjjPl32l7aHB1GQuGLJgIqFlflLNOyZx0Ikny0lMgqPpRS9Q7mmZeigL6DQU_luuyJRwCwZ34etD7n12IVO_ietCfWQjO9w&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT3DDQQVnRUTkwtwGGA7olZ0a03pOl_AUi_thG2NjLGtph3c9EDDkEj144giQcIVRanmnwjr69WznHf21i8qm3orpD32wBts4MNVz-S5OAU-LboaloMTif7mN5bq5IlyNBoLKcDciuW0nP0_UqD6QMbV6G-6s5m64IITAGYd8b6YnwQ" target="_blank">www.rileycountyks.gov/coronavirus</a>, follow RCHD on Facebook at /Rileycountyhealthdepartment/ and Twitter @RileyCoHealth.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Riley Co. COVID-19 Update

Geary Co. COVID-19 Update

WESTMORELAND, Kan. - The Pottawatomie County Health Department released updated community COVID-19 numbers Monday.&nbsp;

Since the last report, Pottawatomie County has identified 69 new confirmed positive cases nd 46 additional recoveries.

The 69 new cases brings the total number since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,178 for Pottawatomie County, as opposed to 1,033 recoveries.&nbsp;

Currently, there are 123 active cases in the county, with six people hospitalized due to COVID-19.&nbsp;

The county also announced one death from the Coronavirus since the last report, bringing the total to four since the start of the pandemic.&nbsp;

These numbers were obtained in a release from the Pottawatomie County Health Department. For more information, visit the<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas"> KDHE website.</a>

WESTMORELAND, Kan. - The Pottawatomie County Health Department released updated community COVID-19 numbers Monday.&nbsp;Since the last report, Pottawatomie County has identified 69 new confirmed positive cases nd 46 additional recoveries.The 69 new cases brings the total number since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,178 for Pottawatomie County, as opposed to 1,033 recoveries.&nbsp;Currently, there are 123 active cases in the county, with six people hospitalized due to COVID-19.&nbsp;The county also announced one death from the Coronavirus since the last report, bringing the total to four since the start of the pandemic.&nbsp;These numbers were obtained in a release from the Pottawatomie County Health Department. For more information, visit the<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas"> KDHE website.</a>

Pottawatomie County updates COVID-19 numbers

RILEY COUNTY — A 79-year-old male and an 82-year-old male died last week at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan after testing positive for COVID-19. The 79-year-old man tested positive on December 16th and passed away on December 30th. The 82-year-old man tested positive on December 30th and passed away on January 2nd. No further information will be released about the patients. 

Riley County has identified 116 new positive cases and 184 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, December 30, 2020. 

Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 14 positive patients and 1 PUI patient at this time. A Person Under Investigation is someone experiencing symptoms who is waiting for test results. Four of the positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit.

Nearly 500 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered by the Riley County Health Department to medical staff and those who are critical to public safety. 

“I wish we could give one to everyone who wants a vaccine right now,” Director Julie Gibbs said. “But we have a limited supply and have worked diligently using a systematic approach to determine those most at risk of catching or spreading the virus to protect the health and safety of Riley County.” 

We continue to work each week to determine how to distribute the vaccines to best fit the needs of our community. Below is the current phases we are working on in accordance with guidance from KDHE. We hope to be finished vaccinating those in Phase 1 near the end of January. We do not know when Phase 2 will begin because we do not know when additional shipments of the vaccine will be distributed to Riley County.  Vaccines are not yet available for the public. As soon as we know when vaccines will be available to the public, we will publicize that information widely and often. 

Phase 1:Hospitals and Long-term care facilitiesEmergency Medical Services (EMS)Health Department Staff Most at Risk of Catching or Spreading the Virus (swab site/vaccination site workers)Urgent Care Services

Via a release from the RCHDRILEY COUNTY — A 79-year-old male and an 82-year-old male died last week at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan after testing positive for COVID-19. The 79-year-old man tested positive on December 16th and passed away on December 30th. The 82-year-old man tested positive on December 30th and passed away on January 2nd. No further information will be released about the patients. Riley County has identified 116 new positive cases and 184 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, December 30, 2020. Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 14 positive patients and 1 PUI patient at this time. A Person Under Investigation is someone experiencing symptoms who is waiting for test results. Four of the positive patients are in the Intensive Care Unit.Nearly 500 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered by the Riley County Health Department to medical staff and those who are critical to public safety. “I wish we could give one to everyone who wants a vaccine right now,” Director Julie Gibbs said. “But we have a limited supply and have worked diligently using a systematic approach to determine those most at risk of catching or spreading the virus to protect the health and safety of Riley County.” We continue to work each week to determine how to distribute the vaccines to best fit the needs of our community. Below is the current phases we are working on in accordance with guidance from KDHE. We hope to be finished vaccinating those in Phase 1 near the end of January. We do not know when Phase 2 will begin because we do not know when additional shipments of the vaccine will be distributed to Riley County. Vaccines are not yet available for the public. As soon as we know when vaccines will be available to the public, we will publicize that information widely and often. Phase 1:Hospitals and Long-term care facilitiesEmergency Medical Services (EMS)Health Department Staff Most at Risk of Catching or Spreading the Virus (swab site/vaccination site workers)Urgent Care ServicesPhase 2: Healthcare, first responders, and critical infrastructure Priority 1 - Primary Care Offices and Respiratory TherapyPriority 2: Surgical and RadiologicalPriority 3: Physical TherapyPriority 4: Optometrist and DentalPriority 5: Pediatric, Chiropractic, Acupuncture, and otherK-12 Education (teachers, bus drivers, staff members)Licensed Child Care providers and preschools, RCHD home visitors, etc. Frontline Behavioral Health and Social Services Public Transportation FAQ information about the COVID-19 vaccine is posted on the Riley County Coronavirus website at <a href="https://www.rileycountyks.gov/1873/Frequently-Asked-Questions?fbclid=IwAR33fewv3hWFcMaGJf3kwMaRcgYacL2xWUFo7c91iluoDvv3TGRkinGIivQ" target="_blank">https://www.rileycountyks.gov/.../Frequently-Asked-Questions</a><a href="https://www.rileycountyks.gov/1873/Frequently-Asked-Questions?fbclid=IwAR33fewv3hWFcMaGJf3kwMaRcgYacL2xWUFo7c91iluoDvv3TGRkinGIivQ" target="_blank"></a>Riley County Statistics for Monday, January 4th:Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 5033Total active: 283Total recovered: 4728Total deaths: 22Case counts are preliminary and subject to verification. The next written update will be published Wednesday, January 6th. The next video update will also be on the 6th at 4:15 p.m. on the RCHD Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Rileycountyhealthdepartment/. KDHE continues to provide testing for all Kansans with no out of pocket fees through January 31, 2021. As part of the Kansas Unified Testing Strategy, WellHealth will continue to provide free saliva-based testing today and every day, except Sundays, holidays, and severe weather days from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at CiCo Park in Manhattan through the end of January. Appointments are recommended and can be made online at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gogettested.com%2Fkansas%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0yGsIQzqA2E3deroBI24NtG1mYZztUcB8X4sVaWP1z0R7XnFpCZjLDlDo&amp;h=AT2OVAJZevBweF05VkUHt3xL0DZ1paBhLqtWQ3YSyzp19e-au5zdegmDBHO7zZSfQ21GUq81atXkZjeDl5NYMM4AfpWGch7u-oP6KOlFJMnUy1q9EGTadTjlT0HeHDOZTyrb&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT2nK9XdqUm0kvHK6EgSb3B1nH5o35nIqjTK6a6_1EC6rEPis-iXl9Y8D1DP6OQTWRIVIs-zBuM0vCFJJq8J_RKM9fUGMT2tXeLxy3MFTyKDg9GeowTx7zEsR_2HVlRn9EgLjb9nHgUhB80Ry66F-rHirtH0zV3kKUTgTazi_2r89sk" target="_blank">https://www.gogettested.com/kansas</a>Drive-up flu shots are available at the health department. Please make an appointment by calling 785-776-4779 ext. 7675 or schedule an appointment online at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rileycountyks.gov%2Fflu%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0nioHOb-SzpMRAbTH1d0StfCEefLAh5mAzotHx0c5rHkGE2bOiK5Ciih8&amp;h=AT1JTXZMcqD2JvVn_i0Y0EjH50QGuG5ILZ7F5uTUAn7DHNnpQpxkRvTyuqWfMfe0OZHgSJAsghZi6hdjFjeTvPgZHCAXSXW-4lR2n76jk6Zs50_NY-ThcWRv_k7LTBuH3-FV&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT2nK9XdqUm0kvHK6EgSb3B1nH5o35nIqjTK6a6_1EC6rEPis-iXl9Y8D1DP6OQTWRIVIs-zBuM0vCFJJq8J_RKM9fUGMT2tXeLxy3MFTyKDg9GeowTx7zEsR_2HVlRn9EgLjb9nHgUhB80Ry66F-rHirtH0zV3kKUTgTazi_2r89sk" target="_blank">http://www.rileycountyks.gov/flu</a>. For more information about Riley County’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, visit the Riley County website at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rileycountyks.gov%2Fcoronavirus%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR06sXAEt-mYXfw-iOSKLHsgO8OevZIE75JI6QTXQvb54NeQlNfn0-AhgJE&amp;h=AT3C4RzS1q-dAxCjT8t2LHuPcC1Sn_wJfg0cnLvp6mjt98V1nFjTcEbuySH2mX6j8fXSmV3Hc-PCPmCKQR0dFK8VdVcbda4chi2RbSan2VoyEWkmZINnNJFUa3OGztJ-kM8p&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT2nK9XdqUm0kvHK6EgSb3B1nH5o35nIqjTK6a6_1EC6rEPis-iXl9Y8D1DP6OQTWRIVIs-zBuM0vCFJJq8J_RKM9fUGMT2tXeLxy3MFTyKDg9GeowTx7zEsR_2HVlRn9EgLjb9nHgUhB80Ry66F-rHirtH0zV3kKUTgTazi_2r89sk" target="_blank">www.rileycountyks.gov/coronavirus</a>, follow RCHD on Facebook at /Rileycountyhealthdepartment/ and Twitter @RileyCoHealth.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Coronavirus Update