The FDA is only recommending the new shot to people who are 65 or older or have a complicating health condition. Many doctors believe it should be given to everyone.
COVID-19
Posted inState Government
Teaching Kansas students to read gets tougher after $22.6 million federal funding cut
Kansas used federal money on an evidence-based reading program. It was helping Kansas students improve their reading skills after pandemic learning loss.
Posted inState Government
Kansas hired a felon to manage $100 million. An audit says that fits with a sloppy hiring system
The Kansas Department of Commerce doesn’t run criminal background checks on nearly any of its prospective employees. That’s one explanation of how the agency hired a felon with a history of financial crimes to handle over $100 million in American Rescue Plan Act money. Former Commerce employee Jonathan Clayton is suspected of embezzling public funds. […]
Posted inHealth
New COVID vaccines are on their way. What you need to know
A summer COVID wave fueled by a highly contagious variant, increased travel and hot days that crowded people indoors may be starting to ebb in the Kansas City area. Health officials said they hope that surge prompts far more people to sign up for the new COVID vaccine, which could reach area pharmacies next week. […]
Posted inHealth
Missouri wants pharmacists to stay quiet about ivermectin, but a judge gets to say if that’s constitutional
A politically charged Missouri law that would prevent pharmacists from counseling patients or doctors about ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, two treatments that have been debunked for COVID-19, has been on hold for two years in federal court. Yet the Missouri Board of Pharmacy posted a guidance statement at the end of June that doesn’t mention that […]
Posted inHealth, Uncategorized
Hospitals can stop reporting COVID numbers. That worries some public health officials
In some ways, a number changed how we viewed the pandemic. Early in the spread of COVID-19, the federal government made hospitals report how many of their beds were filled with patients suffering from the virus. News accounts — and often hospitals themselves — began sharing that tally with the public. The COVID count became […]
Posted inHealth
COVID in Kansas City: Local experts answer your questions going into the new year
Holiday gatherings this year face the prospect of a very unwelcome guest – JN.1, the fast-spreading COVID-19 variant driving this year’s winter surge.
To help Kansas Citians stay healthy during the busiest travel season of the year, The Beacon compiled information from local hospitals and health departments on the current best practices on vaccinations, avoiding infection and staying safe while traveling.
Posted inHealth, Local Government
Kansas City health providers see ‘little to no interest’ in latest COVID vaccine
Alexandria Thompson’s job is to convince the most vulnerable people in her community to get vaccinated for the flu and COVID-19. She can offer education, transportation and up to $50 in gift cards to entice people to get the shots. But, she says, often that is not enough. “I just tend to lead with the […]
Posted inEconomics, Health
Years of nurse short-staffing culminate in second strike in six months at two Ascension hospitals
After a monthslong struggle against cost-cutting measures, nurses at two Ascension Via Christi hospitals in Wichita went on strike for the second time in six months on Dec. 6 as negotiations dragged between the union and the state’s largest health care provider. Ascension Via Christi’s St. Francis and St. Joseph hospitals are dealing with ongoing […]
Posted inData, Health
Syphilis rates climbed by over 2,000% in Sedgwick County in the last decade
For the first dozen-plus years of this century, syphilis was a rarity in Sedgwick County. Fewer than one of every 100,000 residents had the sexually transmitted disease. But in the last decade — mirroring a national trend made worse by the isolation and shifting behaviors spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic — the rate has skyrocketed […]