TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Governor Laura Kelly announced the official phased plan to distribute the vaccine to the state of Kansas.
Governor Laura Kelly says that between Monday, January 4 and Wednesday, January 6, the state recorded 5,501 new cases of COVID-19 and 130 new deaths. She said this brings the Kansas total to 236,818 positive cases of the virus, 7,113 hospitalizations related to the virus and 3,027 deaths from the virus.
According to Governor Kelly, the state also exceeded its goal of testing 1 million kansans by the end of 2020. She said the official count of tests carried out on kansans from the beginning of the pandemic to the end of 2020 was 1,001. 000. To find a free trial website available, Governor Kelly said that Kansans can visit gogettested.com/Kansas.
Governor Kelly said there is a gap between the vaccination tracker at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. She said her team is working closely with the CDC to close this gap. She said that KDHE uses KS WebIZ to monitor the progress of vaccination in the state. According to her, as of 4 pm on Wednesday, January 6, the state has administered 45,872 doses of the vaccine. She said residents can access kansasvaccine.gov for more information about the vaccine in the state.
According to Governor Kelly, Kansas received 17,550 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the week of January 4, she said the state also received the second dose of the initial 24,000 doses. She said the state received 16,900 doses during that week. She said Kansas should receive 17,500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine during the week of January 11 and 17,000 doses of the Modern vaccine.
According to Governor Kelly, her team prepared their official plan in the phases of launching the COVID-19 vaccine for the state, which are as follows:
- Phase 1 – Residents of long-term care facilities, health professionals, essential workers for the continuity of the COVID-19 response
- Phase 2 – Residents aged 65 and over, those who work in licensed settings such as prison centers and shelters for the homeless and critical high-contact workers who work with many contacts who may be exposed to the virus
- Phase 3 – Residents aged 16 to 64 with serious medical conditions that increase the risk of serious illnesses with COVID-19, non-health workers and critical infrastructure workers who cannot work remotely
- Phase 4 – Residents aged 16 to 64 with other medical conditions that increase the risk of serious illness with COVID-19
- Phase 5 – All residents over 16
Governor Kelly said Phase 1 should be completed by the end of January.
According to Governor Kelly, the phased plan was created with the guidance of national and state health experts. She said the state will continue to make decisions based on what doctors, science and public health experts say. She said the timing for the remainder of the vaccine launch depends on when and how many doses the state receives from the federal government. She said it is important to keep in mind that while there are more people qualified for the vaccine at each stage, there will also be more health professionals administering the vaccine at each stage.
Governor Kelly said her greeting to health in the week of January 4 goes to Leslie Pfannenstiel, Norton County’s health administrator. She said that Pfannanstiel’s team consists of only seven members. She said Pfannenstiel also helps outbreak facilities, as well as providing social and financial services to quarantined residents.
January 7, 12:15 pm
Governor Laura Kelly will update the state on her efforts against COVID-19.
Governor Laura Kelly said she will give a press conference at 4 pm on Thursday, January 7, to update the state on her government’s efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic. She should also discuss priority vaccine groups.
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