NW Kansas lagging far behind national numbers

By RACHEL PRADHAN and HANNAH RECHT <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/as-omicron-surges-effort-to-vaccinate-young-children-stalls/">Kaiser Health News</a>

Two months after Pfizer’s COVID vaccine was authorized for children ages
 5 to 11, just 27 percent have received at least one shot, according to Jan. 12
 <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-demographics-trends">data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>. Only 18 percent, or 5 million kids, have both doses.

Those figures are even more stark for northwest Kansas, according to KHN data. Northwest Kansas counties average 7.1 percent of children 5 to 11 with a single dose — and just 4.4 percent of those children are fully vaccinated.&nbsp;

There are just more than 12,500 children in that age group in northwest Kansas, and just 649 have been fully vaccinated, according to KHN data.

Ellis reported the highest rate of a single dose in the area at 13 percent, with 8.2 percent being fully vaccinated.

Pediatricians say the slow pace and geographic disparities are 
alarming, especially against the backdrop of record numbers of cases and
 pediatric hospitalizations. School-based vaccine mandates for students,
 which some pediatricians say are needed to boost rates substantially, 
remain virtually nonexistent.

“You have these large swaths of vulnerable children 
who are going to school,” said Dr. Samir Shah, a director at Cincinnati 
Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Compounding the problem is that 
states with low vaccination rates “are less likely to require masking or
 distancing or other nonpartisan public health precautions,” he said.

In Louisiana, where 5 percent of kids ages 5 to 11 have been fully 
vaccinated, Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, added the shot to the 
list of required school immunizations for the fall, over the objections 
of state legislators, who are mostly Republicans. The District of 
Columbia and California, where about 1 in 5 elementary school kids are 
fully vaccinated, have added similar requirements. But those places are 
exceptions — 15 states have banned covid vaccine mandates in K-12 
schools, according to the <a href="https://www.nashp.org/states-enact-policies-to-support-students-transition-back-to-school/">National Academy for State Health Policy</a>.

Mandates are one of multiple “scientifically valid public health 
strategies,” Shah said. “I do think that what would be ideal; I don’t 
think that we as a society have a will to do that.”

Vaccine demand surged in November, with an initial wave of enthusiasm
 after the shot was approved for younger children. But parents have 
vaccinated younger kids at a slower pace than 12- to 15-year-olds, who 
became eligible in May. It took nearly six weeks for 1 in 5 younger kids
 to get their first shot, while adolescents reached that milestone in 
two weeks.

Experts cite several factors slowing the effort: Because kids are 
less likely than adults to be hospitalized or die from the virus, some 
parents are less inclined to vaccinate their children. Misinformation 
campaigns have fueled concerns about immediate and long-term health 
risks of the vaccine. And finding appointments at pharmacies or with 
pediatricians has been a bear.

“One of the problems we’ve had is this perception that kids aren’t at
 risk for serious illness from this virus,” said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, 
chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious 
Diseases. “That’s obviously not true.”

Parents are left to weigh which is more of a threat to their 
children: the covid virus or the vaccine to prevent the virus. 
Overwhelmingly, research shows, the virus itself presents a greater 
danger.

Kids can develop debilitating long-covid symptoms or a potentially fatal post-covid <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mis/mis-c.html">inflammatory condition</a>. And <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7102e2.htm">new research</a>
 from the CDC found that children are at significantly higher risk of 
developing diabetes in the months after a covid infection. Other 
respiratory infections, like the flu, don’t carry similar risks.

Katharine Lehmann said she had concerns about myocarditis — a rare 
but serious side effect that causes inflammation of the heart muscle and
 is more likely to occur in boys than girls — and considered not 
vaccinating her two sons because of that risk. But after reading up on 
the side effects, she realized the condition is more likely to occur 
from the virus than the vaccine. “I felt safe giving it to my kids,” 
said Lehmann, a physical therapist in Missouri, where 20 percent of younger 
kids have gotten at least one dose.

<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/downloads/slides-2022-01-05/02-COVID-Su-508.pdf">Recent data</a>
 from scientific advisers to the CDC found that myocarditis was 
extremely rare among vaccinated 5- to 11-year-olds, identifying 12 
reported cases as of Dec. 19 out of 8.7 million administered doses.

The huge variations in where children are getting vaccinated reflect 
what has occurred with other age groups: Children have been much less 
likely to get shots in the Deep South, where hesitancy, political views 
and misinformation have blunted adult vaccination rates as well. Alabama
 has the lowest vaccination rate for 5- to 11-year-olds, with 5 percent fully 
vaccinated. States with high adult vaccine rates such as Vermont, 
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine have inoculated the greatest shares
 of their children.

Even within states, rates vary dramatically by county based on 
political leanings, density and access to the shot. More than a quarter 
of kids in Illinois’ populous counties around Chicago and Urbana are 
fully vaccinated, with rates as high as 38% in DuPage County. But rates 
are still below 10% in many of the state’s rural and Republican-leaning 
counties. In Maryland, where 1 in 4 kids are fully vaccinated, rates 
range from more than 40 percent in Howard and Montgomery counties, wealthy 
suburban counties, to fewer than 10 percent along parts of the more rural 
Eastern Shore.

Nationally, a November <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-winter-2021-update-on-parents-views-of-vaccines/">KFF poll</a>
 found that 29 percent of parents of 5- to 11-year-olds definitely won’t 
vaccinate their children and that an additional 7 percent would do so only if 
required. Though rates were similar for Black, white and Hispanic 
parents, political differences and location divided families. Only 22 percent of <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-vaccine-attitudes-rural-suburban-urban/">urban parents</a>
 wouldn’t vaccinate their kids, while 49 percent of rural parents were opposed.
 Half of Republican parents said they definitely wouldn’t vaccinate 
their kids, compared with just 7 percent of Democrats.

The White House said officials continue to work with trusted groups 
to build vaccine confidence and ensure access to shots. “As we’ve seen 
with adult vaccinations, we expect confidence to grow and more and more 
kids to be vaccinated across time,” spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a 
statement.

Just before her younger son’s 5th birthday, Lehmann was eager to book
 covid vaccine appointments for her two boys. But their pediatrician 
wasn’t offering them. Attempts to book time slots at CVS and Walgreens 
before her son turned 5 were unsuccessful, even if the appointment 
occurred after his late-November birthday.

“It was not easy,” she said. Wanting to avoid separate trips for her 
10-year-old and 5-year-old, she nabbed appointments at a hospital a 
half-hour away.

“Both of my kids have gotten all their vaccines at the pediatrician, 
so I was kind of shocked. That would have certainly been easier,” 
Lehmann said. “And the kids know those nurses and doctors, so I think it
 would have helped to not have a stranger doing it.”

The Biden administration has pointed parents to retail pharmacies and
 122 children’s hospitals with vaccine clinics. Nationwide, more than 
35,000 sites, including pediatricians, federally qualified health 
centers and children’s hospitals have been set up to vaccinate young 
kids, according to the administration. Yet administering the covid 
vaccine to children presents obstacles that haven’t been as prominent 
for other inoculations.

Enrolling pediatricians in the covid-19 vaccine program is a 
challenge because of the application process, reporting requirements for
 administered doses, and staffing, said Claire Hannan, executive 
director of the Association of Immunization Managers.

“Many of them are short-staffed right now and don’t necessarily have 
huge capacity to serve,” she said. Plus, “it’s not as easy to engage the
 schools in school-based clinics in certain areas just due to the 
political environment.” Health centers, government officials and other 
groups have set up more than 9,000 school vaccination sites for 5- to 
11-year-olds nationwide.

The CDC’s long-standing program, Vaccines for Children, provides free
 shots for influenza, measles, chickenpox and polio, among others. 
Roughly <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/about/index.html">44,000 doctors</a>
 are enrolled in the program, which is designed to immunize children who
 are eligible for Medicaid, are uninsured or underinsured, or are from 
Native or Indigenous communities. More than half of the program’s 
providers offer covid shots, although the rates vary by state.

Pharmacies have been heavily used in Illinois, where 25 percent of 5- to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, a pediatrician and the director of the Illinois 
Department of Public Health, said 53 percent of shots administered to younger 
children as of Jan. 5 were done at pharmacies. Twenty percent occurred 
at private clinics, 7 percent at local health departments, 6 percent at federally 
qualified health centers and 5 percent at hospitals.

“You need all pieces of the pie” to get more kids vaccinated, Ezike said.

The Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham, Alabama, tried to 
boost vaccinations with a party, offering games and treats, even a photo
 booth and a DJ, along with shots given by a well-known local pharmacy. 
Brooke Bowles, the center’s director of marketing and fund development, 
estimated that about half a dozen of the 42 people who got a dose that 
mid-December day were kids.

Bowles was struck that children were more likely to roll up their 
sleeves when their parents emphasized the greater good in getting 
vaccinated. “Those children were just fantastic,” she said. In parts of 
the Deep South like this one, pro-vaccine groups face a tough climb — as
 of Jan. 12, only 7% of Jefferson County’s children had gotten both 
shots.

The greater good is what pediatricians have emphasized to parents who are on the fence.

“Children are vectors for infectious disease,” said Dr. Eileen 
Costello, chief of ambulatory pediatrics at Boston Medical Center. 
“They’re extremely generous with their microbes,” spreading infections 
to vulnerable relatives and community members who may be more likely to 
end up in the hospital.

Seventy-eight percent of the hospital’s adult patients have received 
at least one dose. For children 5 and up, the figure is 39 percent, with 
younger children having lower rates than adolescents, Costello said. 
Particularly amid an onslaught of misinformation, “it has been 
exhausting to have these long conversations with families who are so 
hesitant and reluctant,” she said.

Still, she can point to successes: A mother who lost a grandparent to
 covid was nonetheless reluctant to vaccinate her son with obesity and 
asthma whom Costello was seeing for a physical. The mother ultimately 
vaccinated all four of her children after Costello told her that her 
son’s weight put him at higher risk for severe illness.

“That felt like a triumph to me,” Costello said. “I think her 
thinking was, ‘Well, he’s a kid — he’s going to be fine.’ And I said, 
‘Well, he might be fine, but he might not.’ ”

Hays Post contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642184443270.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>NW Kansas lagging far behind national numbers</h2>By RACHEL PRADHAN and HANNAH RECHT <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/as-omicron-surges-effort-to-vaccinate-young-children-stalls/">Kaiser Health News</a>Two months after Pfizer’s COVID vaccine was authorized for children ages
 5 to 11, just 27 percent have received at least one shot, according to Jan. 12
 <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-demographics-trends">data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>. Only 18 percent, or 5 million kids, have both doses.Those figures are even more stark for northwest Kansas, according to KHN data. Northwest Kansas counties average 7.1 percent of children 5 to 11 with a single dose — and just 4.4 percent of those children are fully vaccinated.&nbsp;There are just more than 12,500 children in that age group in northwest Kansas, and just 649 have been fully vaccinated, according to KHN data.Ellis reported the highest rate of a single dose in the area at 13 percent, with 8.2 percent being fully vaccinated.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642185215839.png" alt="KHN data" />
 <figcaption>KHN data</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642184753049.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Pediatricians say the slow pace and geographic disparities are 
alarming, especially against the backdrop of record numbers of cases and
 pediatric hospitalizations. School-based vaccine mandates for students,
 which some pediatricians say are needed to boost rates substantially, 
remain virtually nonexistent.“You have these large swaths of vulnerable children 
who are going to school,” said Dr. Samir Shah, a director at Cincinnati 
Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Compounding the problem is that 
states with low vaccination rates “are less likely to require masking or
 distancing or other nonpartisan public health precautions,” he said.In Louisiana, where 5 percent of kids ages 5 to 11 have been fully 
vaccinated, Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, added the shot to the 
list of required school immunizations for the fall, over the objections 
of state legislators, who are mostly Republicans. The District of 
Columbia and California, where about 1 in 5 elementary school kids are 
fully vaccinated, have added similar requirements. But those places are 
exceptions — 15 states have banned covid vaccine mandates in K-12 
schools, according to the <a href="https://www.nashp.org/states-enact-policies-to-support-students-transition-back-to-school/">National Academy for State Health Policy</a>.Mandates are one of multiple “scientifically valid public health 
strategies,” Shah said. “I do think that what would be ideal; I don’t 
think that we as a society have a will to do that.”Vaccine demand surged in November, with an initial wave of enthusiasm
 after the shot was approved for younger children. But parents have 
vaccinated younger kids at a slower pace than 12- to 15-year-olds, who 
became eligible in May. It took nearly six weeks for 1 in 5 younger kids
 to get their first shot, while adolescents reached that milestone in 
two weeks.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642184606479.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Experts cite several factors slowing the effort: Because kids are 
less likely than adults to be hospitalized or die from the virus, some 
parents are less inclined to vaccinate their children. Misinformation 
campaigns have fueled concerns about immediate and long-term health 
risks of the vaccine. And finding appointments at pharmacies or with 
pediatricians has been a bear.“One of the problems we’ve had is this perception that kids aren’t at
 risk for serious illness from this virus,” said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, 
chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious 
Diseases. “That’s obviously not true.”Parents are left to weigh which is more of a threat to their 
children: the covid virus or the vaccine to prevent the virus. 
Overwhelmingly, research shows, the virus itself presents a greater 
danger.Kids can develop debilitating long-covid symptoms or a potentially fatal post-covid <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mis/mis-c.html">inflammatory condition</a>. And <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7102e2.htm">new research</a>
 from the CDC found that children are at significantly higher risk of 
developing diabetes in the months after a covid infection. Other 
respiratory infections, like the flu, don’t carry similar risks.Katharine Lehmann said she had concerns about myocarditis — a rare 
but serious side effect that causes inflammation of the heart muscle and
 is more likely to occur in boys than girls — and considered not 
vaccinating her two sons because of that risk. But after reading up on 
the side effects, she realized the condition is more likely to occur 
from the virus than the vaccine. “I felt safe giving it to my kids,” 
said Lehmann, a physical therapist in Missouri, where 20 percent of younger 
kids have gotten at least one dose.<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/downloads/slides-2022-01-05/02-COVID-Su-508.pdf">Recent data</a>
 from scientific advisers to the CDC found that myocarditis was 
extremely rare among vaccinated 5- to 11-year-olds, identifying 12 
reported cases as of Dec. 19 out of 8.7 million administered doses.The huge variations in where children are getting vaccinated reflect 
what has occurred with other age groups: Children have been much less 
likely to get shots in the Deep South, where hesitancy, political views 
and misinformation have blunted adult vaccination rates as well. Alabama
 has the lowest vaccination rate for 5- to 11-year-olds, with 5 percent fully 
vaccinated. States with high adult vaccine rates such as Vermont, 
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine have inoculated the greatest shares
 of their children.Even within states, rates vary dramatically by county based on 
political leanings, density and access to the shot. More than a quarter 
of kids in Illinois’ populous counties around Chicago and Urbana are 
fully vaccinated, with rates as high as 38% in DuPage County. But rates 
are still below 10% in many of the state’s rural and Republican-leaning 
counties. In Maryland, where 1 in 4 kids are fully vaccinated, rates 
range from more than 40 percent in Howard and Montgomery counties, wealthy 
suburban counties, to fewer than 10 percent along parts of the more rural 
Eastern Shore.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642184659504.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Nationally, a November <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-winter-2021-update-on-parents-views-of-vaccines/">KFF poll</a>
 found that 29 percent of parents of 5- to 11-year-olds definitely won’t 
vaccinate their children and that an additional 7 percent would do so only if 
required. Though rates were similar for Black, white and Hispanic 
parents, political differences and location divided families. Only 22 percent of <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-vaccine-attitudes-rural-suburban-urban/">urban parents</a>
 wouldn’t vaccinate their kids, while 49 percent of rural parents were opposed.
 Half of Republican parents said they definitely wouldn’t vaccinate 
their kids, compared with just 7 percent of Democrats.The White House said officials continue to work with trusted groups 
to build vaccine confidence and ensure access to shots. “As we’ve seen 
with adult vaccinations, we expect confidence to grow and more and more 
kids to be vaccinated across time,” spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a 
statement.<h2>The Hunt for Shots</h2>Just before her younger son’s 5th birthday, Lehmann was eager to book
 covid vaccine appointments for her two boys. But their pediatrician 
wasn’t offering them. Attempts to book time slots at CVS and Walgreens 
before her son turned 5 were unsuccessful, even if the appointment 
occurred after his late-November birthday.“It was not easy,” she said. Wanting to avoid separate trips for her 
10-year-old and 5-year-old, she nabbed appointments at a hospital a 
half-hour away.“Both of my kids have gotten all their vaccines at the pediatrician, 
so I was kind of shocked. That would have certainly been easier,” 
Lehmann said. “And the kids know those nurses and doctors, so I think it
 would have helped to not have a stranger doing it.”The Biden administration has pointed parents to retail pharmacies and
 122 children’s hospitals with vaccine clinics. Nationwide, more than 
35,000 sites, including pediatricians, federally qualified health 
centers and children’s hospitals have been set up to vaccinate young 
kids, according to the administration. Yet administering the covid 
vaccine to children presents obstacles that haven’t been as prominent 
for other inoculations.Enrolling pediatricians in the covid-19 vaccine program is a 
challenge because of the application process, reporting requirements for
 administered doses, and staffing, said Claire Hannan, executive 
director of the Association of Immunization Managers.“Many of them are short-staffed right now and don’t necessarily have 
huge capacity to serve,” she said. Plus, “it’s not as easy to engage the
 schools in school-based clinics in certain areas just due to the 
political environment.” Health centers, government officials and other 
groups have set up more than 9,000 school vaccination sites for 5- to 
11-year-olds nationwide.The CDC’s long-standing program, Vaccines for Children, provides free
 shots for influenza, measles, chickenpox and polio, among others. 
Roughly <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/about/index.html">44,000 doctors</a>
 are enrolled in the program, which is designed to immunize children who
 are eligible for Medicaid, are uninsured or underinsured, or are from 
Native or Indigenous communities. More than half of the program’s 
providers offer covid shots, although the rates vary by state.Pharmacies have been heavily used in Illinois, where 25 percent of 5- to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated.Dr. Ngozi Ezike, a pediatrician and the director of the Illinois 
Department of Public Health, said 53 percent of shots administered to younger 
children as of Jan. 5 were done at pharmacies. Twenty percent occurred 
at private clinics, 7 percent at local health departments, 6 percent at federally 
qualified health centers and 5 percent at hospitals.“You need all pieces of the pie” to get more kids vaccinated, Ezike said.<h2>Kids Respond to ‘the Greater Good’</h2>The Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham, Alabama, tried to 
boost vaccinations with a party, offering games and treats, even a photo
 booth and a DJ, along with shots given by a well-known local pharmacy. 
Brooke Bowles, the center’s director of marketing and fund development, 
estimated that about half a dozen of the 42 people who got a dose that 
mid-December day were kids.Bowles was struck that children were more likely to roll up their 
sleeves when their parents emphasized the greater good in getting 
vaccinated. “Those children were just fantastic,” she said. In parts of 
the Deep South like this one, pro-vaccine groups face a tough climb — as
 of Jan. 12, only 7% of Jefferson County’s children had gotten both 
shots.The greater good is what pediatricians have emphasized to parents who are on the fence.“Children are vectors for infectious disease,” said Dr. Eileen 
Costello, chief of ambulatory pediatrics at Boston Medical Center. 
“They’re extremely generous with their microbes,” spreading infections 
to vulnerable relatives and community members who may be more likely to 
end up in the hospital.Seventy-eight percent of the hospital’s adult patients have received 
at least one dose. For children 5 and up, the figure is 39 percent, with 
younger children having lower rates than adolescents, Costello said. 
Particularly amid an onslaught of misinformation, “it has been 
exhausting to have these long conversations with families who are so 
hesitant and reluctant,” she said.Still, she can point to successes: A mother who lost a grandparent to
 covid was nonetheless reluctant to vaccinate her son with obesity and 
asthma whom Costello was seeing for a physical. The mother ultimately 
vaccinated all four of her children after Costello told her that her 
son’s weight put him at higher risk for severe illness.“That felt like a triumph to me,” Costello said. “I think her 
thinking was, ‘Well, he’s a kid — he’s going to be fine.’ And I said, 
‘Well, he might be fine, but he might not.’ ”Hays Post contributed to this report.

Effort to vaccinate young children stalls; NW Kan. lags even more

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Friday reported 113 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.

There have been 641 new coronavirus cases reported in Ellis County in January.&nbsp;

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8e87b848-d187-43e9-9f0b-811944da4111?fbclid=IwAR20JdOZzHW7LRTXXGaOjP18WdfiA7KTJHxTrajadwxmDr1UjcTThScQL6g">Related:&nbsp;Doctors plead for COVID precautions to alleviate hospital crisis</a>

As of Friday morning, there were 25 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed, including 18 active cases and seven recovering cases. Three of those patients are considered fully vaccinated, the hospital reported.

In observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, the KDHE dashboard will not be updated Monday.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

The KDHE reported on Friday that 51 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (age 5 and older) are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (5 and older) is approximately 62 percent.

Since reporting began, there have been 5,815 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642183255468.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Friday reported 113 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.There have been 641 new coronavirus cases reported in Ellis County in January.&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8e87b848-d187-43e9-9f0b-811944da4111?fbclid=IwAR20JdOZzHW7LRTXXGaOjP18WdfiA7KTJHxTrajadwxmDr1UjcTThScQL6g">Related:&nbsp;Doctors plead for COVID precautions to alleviate hospital crisis</a>As of Friday morning, there were 25 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed, including 18 active cases and seven recovering cases. Three of those patients are considered fully vaccinated, the hospital reported.In observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, the KDHE dashboard will not be updated Monday.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.The KDHE reported on Friday that 51 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (age 5 and older) are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (5 and older) is approximately 62 percent.Since reporting began, there have been 5,815 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642183361874.png" alt="Statewide COVID-19 curve / KDHE" />
 <figcaption>Statewide COVID-19 curve / KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: 113 new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Wednesday

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the government will double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans, along with the most protective N95 masks, as he highlighted his efforts to “surge” resources to help the country weather the spike in coronavirus cases.

Biden also announced that starting next week 1,000 military medical personnel will begin deploying across the country to help overwhelmed medical facilities ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-b6d58e41b209dd67ed0954f28b542baf">staff shortages</a>&nbsp;due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-europe-london-england-eddf1657a9462547826881562b71f3b7">the highly transmissible omicron variant</a>.

Many facilities are struggling because their workers are in at-home quarantines due to the virus at the same time as a nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases. The new deployments will be on top of other federal medical personnel who have already been sent to states to help with acute shortages.

Speaking at the White House Thursday, Biden acknowledged that, “I know we’re all frustrated as we enter this new year” as virus cases reach new heights. But he insisted that it remains “a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people test positive for the virus, but Biden noted medical figures showing that people are far less likely to suffer serious illness and death if they’ve received a shot: “What happens after that could not be more different.”

Biden’s comments come as his administration’s focus is shifting to easing disruptions from the spike in cases that is also contributing to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/grocery-store-supply-chain-issues-166cc40b0ff095af9d0bf4041fa1b5fc">grocery shortages</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-travel-flight-cancellations-bed3b491ef8dfd778ac612e35add75fb">flight cancellations,&nbsp;</a>rather than preventing the transmission of the virus.

On Tuesday, Janet Woodcock, the acting head of the Food and Drug Administration, told Congress that the highly transmissible strain will infect “most people” and that the focus should turn to ensuring critical services can continue uninterrupted.

“I think it’s hard to process what’s actually happening right now, which is: Most people are going to get COVID, all right?” she said. “What we need to do is make sure the hospitals can still function — transportation, other essential services are not disrupted while this happens.”

Biden said that he is directing his team to double its procurement of rapid COVID-19 tests to be delivered for free to Americans through a forthcoming federal website, as he seeks to respond to criticism over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-science-travel-health-196255dcfe3e928b6f9f5779cd47be4e">shortages and long lines for tests</a>. The initial order was for 500 million tests, and now the federal government will purchase 1 billion at-home testing kits. Biden said the website will launch next week.

Biden also announced that for the first time his administration was planning to make high-quality N95 masks, which are most effective at preventing transmission of the virus, available for free. He said his administration would announce details next week.

The federal government has a stockpile of more than 750 million N95 masks, the White House said this week. And though research has shown those masks to be better protection, they are often more uncomfortable, and health officials are not altering their guidance to recommend against less-protective cloth masks.

The best mask “is the one that you will wear and the one you can keep on all day long, that you can tolerate in public indoor settings,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday.

Biden encouraged Americans to wear masks when indoors to slow the spread of the virus, even as he acknowledged they’re a “pain in the neck”

During Thursday’s remarks Biden was joined by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-biden-cabinet-lloyd-austin-john-cornyn-army-4d8848273e4e1fe6e4ad2dc8cee7313c">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>, who recently recovered from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-lloyd-austin-alejandro-mayorkas-d06d9606206265e8fae110cf7a549fd4">his own case of COVID-19</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-new-york-coronavirus-pandemic-emergency-management-49cff31bd6d423da5379523f99835eef">FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell</a>. They were hearing about the work of the more than 800 military personnel who have been helping civilian hospitals since Thanksgiving and the more than 14,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-new-hampshire-dover-7352b829ecb9ca54d89df03fa6fd9191">National Guard members</a>&nbsp;whose work supporting vaccinations, testing and caring for patients is being covered by the federal government.

The White House said the they spoke with federal personnel who are already on the ground in Arizona, Michigan and New York to hear about their experiences.

Biden also announced that six additional military medical teams will be deployed to Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island.

The White House said the teams will support Henry Ford Hospital just outside Detroit, University Hospital in Newark, the University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque, Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, Cleveland Clinic and Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the government will double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans, along with the most protective N95 masks, as he highlighted his efforts to “surge” resources to help the country weather the spike in coronavirus cases.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F627100008618297%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=17" 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>Biden also announced that starting next week 1,000 military medical personnel will begin deploying across the country to help overwhelmed medical facilities ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-b6d58e41b209dd67ed0954f28b542baf">staff shortages</a>&nbsp;due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-europe-london-england-eddf1657a9462547826881562b71f3b7">the highly transmissible omicron variant</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden just announced that our administration will purchase an additional 500 million COVID-19 at home tests, bringing the total number of tests that will be distributed for free to 1 billion. <a href="https://t.co/Ze8NSyKaf9">pic.twitter.com/Ze8NSyKaf9</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1481654833199259649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Many facilities are struggling because their workers are in at-home quarantines due to the virus at the same time as a nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases. The new deployments will be on top of other federal medical personnel who have already been sent to states to help with acute shortages.Speaking at the White House Thursday, Biden acknowledged that, “I know we’re all frustrated as we enter this new year” as virus cases reach new heights. But he insisted that it remains “a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people test positive for the virus, but Biden noted medical figures showing that people are far less likely to suffer serious illness and death if they’ve received a shot: “What happens after that could not be more different.”Biden’s comments come as his administration’s focus is shifting to easing disruptions from the spike in cases that is also contributing to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/grocery-store-supply-chain-issues-166cc40b0ff095af9d0bf4041fa1b5fc">grocery shortages</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-travel-flight-cancellations-bed3b491ef8dfd778ac612e35add75fb">flight cancellations,&nbsp;</a>rather than preventing the transmission of the virus.On Tuesday, Janet Woodcock, the acting head of the Food and Drug Administration, told Congress that the highly transmissible strain will infect “most people” and that the focus should turn to ensuring critical services can continue uninterrupted.“I think it’s hard to process what’s actually happening right now, which is: Most people are going to get COVID, all right?” she said. “What we need to do is make sure the hospitals can still function — transportation, other essential services are not disrupted while this happens.”Biden said that he is directing his team to double its procurement of rapid COVID-19 tests to be delivered for free to Americans through a forthcoming federal website, as he seeks to respond to criticism over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-science-travel-health-196255dcfe3e928b6f9f5779cd47be4e">shortages and long lines for tests</a>. The initial order was for 500 million tests, and now the federal government will purchase 1 billion at-home testing kits. Biden said the website will launch next week.Biden also announced that for the first time his administration was planning to make high-quality N95 masks, which are most effective at preventing transmission of the virus, available for free. He said his administration would announce details next week.The federal government has a stockpile of more than 750 million N95 masks, the White House said this week. And though research has shown those masks to be better protection, they are often more uncomfortable, and health officials are not altering their guidance to recommend against less-protective cloth masks.The best mask “is the one that you will wear and the one you can keep on all day long, that you can tolerate in public indoor settings,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday.Biden encouraged Americans to wear masks when indoors to slow the spread of the virus, even as he acknowledged they’re a “pain in the neck”During Thursday’s remarks Biden was joined by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-biden-cabinet-lloyd-austin-john-cornyn-army-4d8848273e4e1fe6e4ad2dc8cee7313c">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>, who recently recovered from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-lloyd-austin-alejandro-mayorkas-d06d9606206265e8fae110cf7a549fd4">his own case of COVID-19</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-new-york-coronavirus-pandemic-emergency-management-49cff31bd6d423da5379523f99835eef">FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell</a>. They were hearing about the work of the more than 800 military personnel who have been helping civilian hospitals since Thanksgiving and the more than 14,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-new-hampshire-dover-7352b829ecb9ca54d89df03fa6fd9191">National Guard members</a>&nbsp;whose work supporting vaccinations, testing and caring for patients is being covered by the federal government.The White House said the they spoke with federal personnel who are already on the ground in Arizona, Michigan and New York to hear about their experiences.Biden also announced that six additional military medical teams will be deployed to Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island.The White House said the teams will support Henry Ford Hospital just outside Detroit, University Hospital in Newark, the University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque, Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, Cleveland Clinic and Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

🎥 Biden now offering 1 billion free COVID tests to fight omicron

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported a handful of COVID-19 clusters identified in northwest Kansas. 

The following clusters were noted in Wednesday's coronavirus update (case count indicates cases in the last 14 days):

•&nbsp;Home Daycare, Great Bend: 6 cases •&nbsp;Russell Regional Hospital: 5 cases •&nbsp;Medicalodge, Great Bend: 32 cases •&nbsp;Parkview Care Center, Osborne: 7 cases •&nbsp;Smith County Health and Rehab: 9 cases

There are currently 217 active COVID-19 clusters accounting for 3,122 cases, 50 hospitalizations and 37 deaths, KDHE reported. 

Click <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">HERE</a> for more information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642013305303.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported a handful of COVID-19 clusters identified in northwest Kansas. The following clusters were noted in Wednesday's coronavirus update (case count indicates cases in the last 14 days):•&nbsp;Home Daycare, Great Bend: 6 cases •&nbsp;Russell Regional Hospital: 5 cases •&nbsp;Medicalodge, Great Bend: 32 cases •&nbsp;Parkview Care Center, Osborne: 7 cases •&nbsp;Smith County Health and Rehab: 9 casesThere are currently 217 active COVID-19 clusters accounting for 3,122 cases, 50 hospitalizations and 37 deaths, KDHE reported. Click <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">HERE</a> for more information.

KDHE identifies COVID-19 clusters in northwest Kansas

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported 149 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Monday.

As of Wednesday morning, there were 25 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed.&nbsp;

The KDHE reported on Wednesday that 50 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (age 5 and older) are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (5 and older) is approximately 62 percent.

Since reporting began, there have been 5,702 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642012640147.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported 149 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Monday.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8e87b848-d187-43e9-9f0b-811944da4111?fbclid=IwAR20JdOZzHW7LRTXXGaOjP18WdfiA7KTJHxTrajadwxmDr1UjcTThScQL6g">Related:&nbsp;Doctors plead for COVID precautions to alleviate hospital crisis</a>As of Wednesday morning, there were 25 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.The KDHE reported on Wednesday that 50 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (age 5 and older) are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (5 and older) is approximately 62 percent.Since reporting began, there have been 5,702 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642012767953.png" alt="Statewide COVID-19 curve / KDHE" />
 <figcaption>Statewide COVID-19 curve / KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: 149 new COVID cases in Ellis County since Monday

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 89 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Friday.

As of Monday morning, there were 22 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed.&nbsp;

The KDHE reported on Friday that 50 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (age 5 and older) are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (5 and older) is approximately 61 percent.

Since reporting began, there have been 5,553 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;

Updated 2 p.m. Tuesday to correct the number of overall cases.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641840663584.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 89 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Friday.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8e87b848-d187-43e9-9f0b-811944da4111?fbclid=IwAR20JdOZzHW7LRTXXGaOjP18WdfiA7KTJHxTrajadwxmDr1UjcTThScQL6g">Related:&nbsp;Doctors plead for COVID precautions to alleviate hospital crisis</a>As of Monday morning, there were 22 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>The KDHE reported on Friday that 50 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (age 5 and older) are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (5 and older) is approximately 61 percent.Since reporting began, there have been 5,553 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.&nbsp;Updated 2 p.m. Tuesday to correct the number of overall cases.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641840768310.png" alt="Statewide COVID-19 curve / KDHE" />
 <figcaption>Statewide COVID-19 curve / KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: 89 new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Friday

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Friday reported 97 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/73a7bd2f-aecf-4f81-89e9-48b515e19efd">RELATED: TMP-M games postponed due to COVID concerns</a>

It was the largest spike in new cases between reporting periods in Ellis County since mid-December 2020. KDHE updates cases each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

As of Friday morning, there were 26 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed.&nbsp;

The KDHE reported on Wednesday that 50 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (age 5 and older) are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (5 and older) is approximately 61 percent.

Since reporting began, there have been 5,464 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641578281343.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Friday reported 97 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/73a7bd2f-aecf-4f81-89e9-48b515e19efd">RELATED: TMP-M games postponed due to COVID concerns</a>It was the largest spike in new cases between reporting periods in Ellis County since mid-December 2020. KDHE updates cases each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8e87b848-d187-43e9-9f0b-811944da4111?fbclid=IwAR20JdOZzHW7LRTXXGaOjP18WdfiA7KTJHxTrajadwxmDr1UjcTThScQL6g">Related:&nbsp;Doctors plead for COVID precautions to alleviate hospital crisis</a>As of Friday morning, there were 26 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>The KDHE reported on Wednesday that 50 percent of eligible Ellis County residents (age 5 and older) are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (5 and older) is approximately 61 percent.Since reporting began, there have been 5,464 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641578432957.png" alt="Statewide COVID case curve in Kansas" />
 <figcaption>Statewide COVID case curve in Kansas</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: 97 new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Wednesday

75 total COVID admissions for December 2021 at HaysMed 

• Average age 62 • 60% male; 40% female • 8 deaths - Average age 67 (All unvaccinated) • 29 out of 75 admissions were from Ellis County • 66 out of the 75 were not vaccinated. • 1 out of 75 were partially vaccinated

Via HaysMed75 total COVID admissions for December 2021 at HaysMed • Average age 62 • 60% male; 40% female • 8 deaths - Average age 67 (All unvaccinated) • 29 out of 75 admissions were from Ellis County • 66 out of the 75 were not vaccinated. • 1 out of 75 were partially vaccinated

HaysMed releases COVID stats for December

Health officials in Hays reported the state's first case of COVID and flu in a patient.

During Wednesday's online news conference, with more than a dozen chief medical officers from Kanas and Missouri, Dr. Heather Harris, chief medical officer at HaysMed, said that as of Tuesday night, the hospital had its first case of COVID and flu diagnosed in a patient.

The patient resides outside of Ellis County and had not been vaccinated for either the flu or COVID, Harris told Hays Post, noting Ellis County numbers are climbing and with at-home testing, officials are probably only seeing a portion of the positives.&nbsp;

"Vaccination is the best way to stay well," she said, also encouraging residents to stay home if they are sick.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/9a3974fe-770d-4ba1-b84f-b3a2b3412494">RELATED: KDHE reports 80 new cases of COVID-19 in Ellis County since Monday</a>

Harris' comments begin just after the 27-minute mark in the video.

Flurona refers to a patient with influenza and COVID at the same time.&nbsp;This patient was one of five in the ICU at Hays Medical Center. Israel reported one of the world's first dual cases last week, according to <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/flurona-israel-records-its-first-case-of-patient-with-covid-and-flu-at-same-time/">the Times of Israel.&nbsp;</a>

Harris also said Hays Medical Center currently had 14 active COVID cases and nine recovering. Among the five in the ICU,&nbsp; three of were on ventilators.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641407370791.png" alt="Heather Harris, chief medical officer at HaysMed, during Wednesday's online news conference hosted by the University of Kansas Medical Center." />
 <figcaption>Heather Harris, chief medical officer at HaysMed, during Wednesday's online news conference hosted by the University of Kansas Medical Center.</figcaption>
 </figure>Health officials in Hays reported the state's first case of COVID and flu in a patient.During Wednesday's online news conference, with more than a dozen chief medical officers from Kanas and Missouri, Dr. Heather Harris, chief medical officer at HaysMed, said that as of Tuesday night, the hospital had its first case of COVID and flu diagnosed in a patient.The patient resides outside of Ellis County and had not been vaccinated for either the flu or COVID, Harris told Hays Post, noting Ellis County numbers are climbing and with at-home testing, officials are probably only seeing a portion of the positives.&nbsp;"Vaccination is the best way to stay well," she said, also encouraging residents to stay home if they are sick.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/9a3974fe-770d-4ba1-b84f-b3a2b3412494">RELATED: KDHE reports 80 new cases of COVID-19 in Ellis County since Monday</a>Harris' comments begin just after the 27-minute mark in the video.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nz62gGguXhw?start=1585" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Flurona refers to a patient with influenza and COVID at the same time.&nbsp;This patient was one of five in the ICU at Hays Medical Center. Israel reported one of the world's first dual cases last week, according to <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/flurona-israel-records-its-first-case-of-patient-with-covid-and-flu-at-same-time/">the Times of Israel.&nbsp;</a>Harris also said Hays Medical Center currently had 14 active COVID cases and nine recovering. Among the five in the ICU,&nbsp; three of were on ventilators.&nbsp;

🎥 HaysMed reports Kansas' first case of 'flurona'

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported 80 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Monday.

As of Wednesday morning, there were 23 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed. More than 150 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the county in the past week, according to the KDHE.

The KDHE reported on Dec. 17 that 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 66 percent.

Since reporting began, there have been 5,367 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641405778069.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported 80 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Monday.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8e87b848-d187-43e9-9f0b-811944da4111?fbclid=IwAR20JdOZzHW7LRTXXGaOjP18WdfiA7KTJHxTrajadwxmDr1UjcTThScQL6g">Related:&nbsp;Doctors plead for COVID precautions to alleviate hospital crisis</a>As of Wednesday morning, there were 23 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed. More than 150 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the county in the past week, according to the KDHE.<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>The KDHE reported on Dec. 17 that 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 66 percent.Since reporting began, there have been 5,367 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.

KDHE: 80 new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Monday

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 77 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.

Due to the New Year's holiday, KDHE's COVID dashboard was not updated Friday.&nbsp;

KDHE also reported the death of an Ellis County resident, raising the total coronavirus-related deaths to 78.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/f515bfdd-3d45-46c6-b1aa-9b1e2fa7f003">RELATED: 'A pandemic of two populations — the vaccinated and the unvaccinated'</a>

As of Monday morning, there were 19 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed.

Since reporting began, there have been 5,287 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641233522413.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 77 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.Due to the New Year's holiday, KDHE's COVID dashboard was not updated Friday.&nbsp;KDHE also reported the death of an Ellis County resident, raising the total coronavirus-related deaths to 78.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/f515bfdd-3d45-46c6-b1aa-9b1e2fa7f003">RELATED: 'A pandemic of two populations — the vaccinated and the unvaccinated'</a>As of Monday morning, there were 19 COVID-19 inpatients at HaysMed.<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>The KDHE reported on Dec. 17 that 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 66 percent.Since reporting began, there have been 5,287 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 78 coronavirus-related deaths.

KDHE: 77 new COVID cases, additional death in Ellis Co. since Wednesday

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas was much larger to end 2021 than on New Year's Day a year ago.

On January 1, 2021, the Kansas Department of Health reported an increase of 5,312 cases of COVID to a total of 227,745 statewide. Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,879 an increase of 138.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

This year, due to the holiday, the KDHE released no new numbers on New Year's Eve Friday. On Wednesday, the state reported an increase of 7,083 COVID cases for a total of 519,544. The state reported 37 additional COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday for a total of 7,001 since the beginning of the pandemic.

As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection&nbsp;(e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;

Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas was much larger to end 2021 than on New Year's Day a year ago.On January 1, 2021, the Kansas Department of Health reported an increase of 5,312 cases of COVID to a total of 227,745 statewide. Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,879 an increase of 138.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609526207240.png" alt="Friday Jan. 1, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday Jan. 1, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.This year, due to the holiday, the KDHE released no new numbers on New Year's Eve Friday. On Wednesday, the state reported an increase of 7,083 COVID cases for a total of 519,544. The state reported 37 additional COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday for a total of 7,001 since the beginning of the pandemic.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640805043111.png" alt="Wednesday Dec. 29, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Dec. 29, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection&nbsp;(e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

KDHE: Comparing COVID numbers from New Year's Day 2021

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported 39 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Monday.

KDHE's COVID dashboard will not be updated Friday, in observance of the New Year holiday.&nbsp;

Since reporting began, there have been 5,210 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640805051651.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported 39 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Monday.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/f515bfdd-3d45-46c6-b1aa-9b1e2fa7f003">RELATED: 'A pandemic of two populations — the vaccinated and the unvaccinated'</a>KDHE's COVID dashboard will not be updated Friday, in observance of the New Year holiday.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>The KDHE reported on Dec. 17 that 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 66 percent.Since reporting began, there have been 5,210 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

KDHE: 39 new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Monday

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 56 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.

Due to Christmas Eve, there was no update on Friday.

The KDHE reported Monday 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 66 percent.

Since reporting began, there have been 5,171 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640633784879.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 56 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.Due to Christmas Eve, there was no update on Friday.<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>The KDHE reported Monday 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 66 percent.Since reporting began, there have been 5,171 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

KDHE: 56 new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Wednesday

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 15 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.

The KDHE reported Wednesday 55 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 66 percent.

Since reporting began, there have been 5,092 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640023450389.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 15 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>The KDHE reported Wednesday 55 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 66 percent.Since reporting began, there have been 5,092 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

KDHE: 15 new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Friday

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Friday reported 17 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3fbf9a1d-9473-48af-add6-ac3dfce7c3b6">RELATED: HaysMed releases November COVID stats</a>

Since reporting began, there have been 5,077 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639766298115.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Friday reported 17 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Wednesday.<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>The KDHE reported Wednesday 55 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 66 percent.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3fbf9a1d-9473-48af-add6-ac3dfce7c3b6">RELATED: HaysMed releases November COVID stats</a>Since reporting began, there have been 5,077 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

KDHE: 17 new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Wednesday

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported 29 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Monday

The KDHE reported Wednesday 55 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 65 percent.

Since reporting began, there have been 5,060 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639596643448.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported 29 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Monday<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>The KDHE reported Wednesday 55 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 65 percent.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3fbf9a1d-9473-48af-add6-ac3dfce7c3b6">RELATED: HaysMed releases November COVID stats</a>Since reporting began, there have been 5,060 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

KDHE: 29 new COVID cases in Ellis Co. since Monday

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 31 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Friday.

KDHE also reported an additional coronavirus-related death of an Ellis County resident, bringing the total to 77.

As of Monday morning, HaysMed reported 23 COVID-19 inpatients.

The KDHE reported Friday 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 65 percent.

Since reporting began, there have been 5,031 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639419228864.png" alt="KDHE" />
 <figcaption>KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday reported 31 new COVID-19 cases in Ellis County had been identified since Friday.<a href="https://www.ellisco.net/97/Health">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.KDHE also reported an additional coronavirus-related death of an Ellis County resident, bringing the total to 77.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/e63276ea-ca10-4e6a-84c8-73db703c9286">RELATED:&nbsp;Hays docs say battling teen, parental hesitancy to vaccine a challenge</a>As of Monday morning, HaysMed reported 23 COVID-19 inpatients.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3fbf9a1d-9473-48af-add6-ac3dfce7c3b6">RELATED: HaysMed releases November COVID stats</a>The KDHE reported Friday 54 percent of eligible Ellis County residents are fully vaccinated, noting the vaccination rate for the eligible Kansas population (12 and older) is approximately 65 percent.Since reporting began, there have been 5,031 cases of COVID-19 identified in Ellis County, including 77 coronavirus-related deaths.

KDHE: 31 new COVID cases, additional death in Ellis Co. since Friday

Doctors 'running out of gas' in fight against misinformation

Editor's note:&nbsp;Hays Post contacted several Ellis County students to learn what they have heard about the COVID-19 vaccine amongst peers and on social media. The quotes below are the responses, without attribution.&nbsp;

Despite last month's decision to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html">authorize COVID-19 vaccinations for everyone age 5 and older</a>, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported last week the overall vaccination rate in Ellis County for those age 12 and older remains just over 50 percent — well below the statewide average of 65 percent.

<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(21)00424-7/fulltext">A September study from England published by Lancet</a> showed about half of teens age 12 and older were either hesitant or would opt out of the vaccine altogether.

Dr. Heather Harris, chief medical officer at HaysMed, and Dr. Michelle Pope, pediatrician at <a href="https://www.haysmed.com/pediatrics/">Hays Pediatric Center</a>, said teen hesitancy is a conversation they have on a regular basis with patients and parents.

"Often, whatever the parents have decided for themselves, obviously there will be a similar decision for the kids," Pope said. 

She said the most common concern is that the vaccine was "so rushed."

"It's not really true. Parts of the process have been in place for over a decade," Pope said, noting development of the MRNA science used for the COVID vaccine began when SARS and MERS threatened to become a significant health issue. "The technology is definitely not new. It just feels new ... because SARS and MERS never became a pandemic."

Harris said she believes part of the hesitancy stems from a more base instinct.

"At the end of the day, kids don't like shots," she said. "But that just has to be 'time to be a parent.' You know they're going to be fine. There's just more fear than there is harm."

Both Harris and Pope offered the reassurance that the vaccine has been proven overwhelmingly safe – despite misinformation many children are faced with on social media.

"Kids get multiple vaccines over their life, and for the majority, there's very little concern about it," Harris said. "The scientific community has provided us with safe and effective vaccines, and there's no concern that this is any different.

"(The COVID vaccine's safety) has been politicized, but we all know it's just not true. Over a billion people have been vaccinated with very little to no harm."

<a href="https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=22378331">RELATED: Click here for information on testing and vaccinations from the Ellis County Health Department.</a>

A recurring bit of misinformation both Harris and Pope have heard is in regard to fertility in teen girls, although Pope noted there are studies actually showing heightened risk for unvaccinated men diagnosed with natural COVID to develop sterility. With the vaccine, however, Pope added that has not been shown to be a risk.

"They're spreading rumors amongst each other, and they don't have the right information to understand the misinformation," Harris said.

Pope said the data shows children and adults have the same occurrence of mild reaction to the vaccine as adults — about 50 percent. She noted the vast majority of those reactions — site tenderness, fatigue and aches — happen within 12 to 24 hours of the shot, are short-lived and treatable with over-the-counter pain reliever.

She noted that children who contract natural COVID, however, have an increased risk of long-term  effects, including "pins and needles" nerve inflammation, joint aches, extreme fatigue and headaches.

Pope acknowledged there have been cases of myocarditis — inflamation of the heart muscle — in teens following the vaccine, but noted natural COVID causes the same condition and can create permanent, long-term damage to the heart.

Vaccine-related myocarditis is "very, very rare," she said.

Clinical trials have shown no occurrence of myocarditis in children age 5 to 11, according to <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/covid-19-vaccine-kids-how-we-know-it-s-safe">reports from the American Medical Association published in mid-November. </a>

Harris again noted that the delta variant of COVID is affecting the younger population more seriously than the original strain, with the average COVID inpatient age now about 60 years old. Hospital stays have become longer and the outcomes have become more treacherous for otherwise healthy people.

"A great majority of those being hospitalized are unvaccinated. They're quite sick, have long hospitalizations, a long recovery and we're starting to see more deaths occur .. in relatively young people," she said. "The 50- to 60-year-old group has been pretty stubborn about getting the vaccine, and they're the ones being hospitalized."

While the majority of inpatients at HaysMed had been from outside the county in recent weeks, as of Tuesday, about half of the 20-plus COVID inpatients were Ellis County residents. There have been some breakthrough cases of COVID in vaccinated patients, but Harris said most of those individuals were already immunocompromised or elderly.

Hospitalization of COVID patients —&nbsp;the vast majority unvaccinated — continues to take its toll on the staff at HaysMed, which, like most health care institutions across the state and nation, is fighting staffing issues. HaysMed also has been intermittently closed to out-of-county transfers over recent months with the influx of COVID inpatients.

"We're in need of nurses, all levels of hospital functions," Harris said. "We're short-staffed in multiple departments. ... If we were only left with those vaccinated, we would just have a handful of COVID patients."

Pope said that while staffing levels at the pediatric center are not a concern, the number of COVID patients occupying beds is an issue when a child must be admitted for any condition. With a more vigorous flu season expected and the annual uptick of RSV expected over the next three months, this means the potential for more pediatric transfers out of HaysMed. She said it's common in a normal year for pediatric patients to be admitted for influenza or RSV. 

"We rely upon the same nurses, who are in short supply," she said. "The COVID patients are taking up resources for RSV patients," noting children have been transferred to Kansas Mercy Hospital or Wichita due to space and staff concerns.

Pope said she encounters three main mindsets after asking her patients' parents if they have been vaccinated.

"It's an interesting conversation," she said. "The response is 'yes' or a quiet 'no' or a very robust 'no.' 

"When I ask 'Then what are your concerns?' ... 25 to 50 percent of them don't want to talk about it. There's no conversation to be had.  I restate the science, tell them I have no concerns and tell them I've put my money where my mouth is ..."

Of the "hard no" parents, she added, "I don't think I've had much success. The 'soft nos,' I've convinced some of the parents to get the vaccine, which is probably the first step to getting the kids vaccinated."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639254519987.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Doctors 'running out of gas' in fight against misinformation</h2>Editor's note:&nbsp;Hays Post contacted several Ellis County students to learn what they have heard about the COVID-19 vaccine amongst peers and on social media. The quotes below are the responses, without attribution.&nbsp;Hays PostDespite last month's decision to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html">authorize COVID-19 vaccinations for everyone age 5 and older</a>, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported last week the overall vaccination rate in Ellis County for those age 12 and older remains just over 50 percent — well below the statewide average of 65 percent.<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(21)00424-7/fulltext">A September study from England published by Lancet</a> showed about half of teens age 12 and older were either hesitant or would opt out of the vaccine altogether.Dr. Heather Harris, chief medical officer at HaysMed, and Dr. Michelle Pope, pediatrician at <a href="https://www.haysmed.com/pediatrics/">Hays Pediatric Center</a>, said teen hesitancy is a conversation they have on a regular basis with patients and parents."Often, whatever the parents have decided for themselves, obviously there will be a similar decision for the kids," Pope said. She said the most common concern is that the vaccine was "so rushed.""It's not really true. Parts of the process have been in place for over a decade," Pope said, noting development of the MRNA science used for the COVID vaccine began when SARS and MERS threatened to become a significant health issue. "The technology is definitely not new. It just feels new ... because SARS and MERS never became a pandemic."Harris said she believes part of the hesitancy stems from a more base instinct."At the end of the day, kids don't like shots," she said. "But that just has to be 'time to be a parent.' You know they're going to be fine. There's just more fear than there is harm."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639254081806.png" alt="Dr. Heather Harris" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Heather Harris</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Fighting misinformation</h2>Both Harris and Pope offered the reassurance that the vaccine has been proven overwhelmingly safe – despite misinformation many children are faced with on social media."Kids get multiple vaccines over their life, and for the majority, there's very little concern about it," Harris said. "The scientific community has provided us with safe and effective vaccines, and there's no concern that this is any different."(The COVID vaccine's safety) has been politicized, but we all know it's just not true. Over a billion people have been vaccinated with very little to no harm."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639332626178.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=22378331">RELATED: Click here for information on testing and vaccinations from the Ellis County Health Department.</a>A recurring bit of misinformation both Harris and Pope have heard is in regard to fertility in teen girls, although Pope noted there are studies actually showing heightened risk for unvaccinated men diagnosed with natural COVID to develop sterility. With the vaccine, however, Pope added that has not been shown to be a risk."They're spreading rumors amongst each other, and they don't have the right information to understand the misinformation," Harris said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639332537755.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Pope said the data shows children and adults have the same occurrence of mild reaction to the vaccine as adults — about 50 percent. She noted the vast majority of those reactions — site tenderness, fatigue and aches — happen within 12 to 24 hours of the shot, are short-lived and treatable with over-the-counter pain reliever.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639266087636.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>She noted that children who contract natural COVID, however, have an increased risk of long-term effects, including "pins and needles" nerve inflammation, joint aches, extreme fatigue and headaches.Pope acknowledged there have been cases of myocarditis — inflamation of the heart muscle — in teens following the vaccine, but noted natural COVID causes the same condition and can create permanent, long-term damage to the heart.Vaccine-related myocarditis is "very, very rare," she said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639251587003.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Clinical trials have shown no occurrence of myocarditis in children age 5 to 11, according to <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/covid-19-vaccine-kids-how-we-know-it-s-safe">reports from the American Medical Association published in mid-November. </a><h2>Beds and bodies</h2>Harris again noted that the delta variant of COVID is affecting the younger population more seriously than the original strain, with the average COVID inpatient age now about 60 years old. Hospital stays have become longer and the outcomes have become more treacherous for otherwise healthy people."A great majority of those being hospitalized are unvaccinated. They're quite sick, have long hospitalizations, a long recovery and we're starting to see more deaths occur .. in relatively young people," she said. "The 50- to 60-year-old group has been pretty stubborn about getting the vaccine, and they're the ones being hospitalized."While the majority of inpatients at HaysMed had been from outside the county in recent weeks, as of Tuesday, about half of the 20-plus COVID inpatients were Ellis County residents. There have been some breakthrough cases of COVID in vaccinated patients, but Harris said most of those individuals were already immunocompromised or elderly.Hospitalization of COVID patients —&nbsp;the vast majority unvaccinated — continues to take its toll on the staff at HaysMed, which, like most health care institutions across the state and nation, is fighting staffing issues. HaysMed also has been intermittently closed to out-of-county transfers over recent months with the influx of COVID inpatients."We're in need of nurses, all levels of hospital functions," Harris said. "We're short-staffed in multiple departments. ... If we were only left with those vaccinated, we would just have a handful of COVID patients."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639254169095.png" alt="Dr. Michelle Pope" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Michelle Pope</figcaption>
 </figure>Pope said that while staffing levels at the pediatric center are not a concern, the number of COVID patients occupying beds is an issue when a child must be admitted for any condition. With a more vigorous flu season expected and the annual uptick of RSV expected over the next three months, this means the potential for more pediatric transfers out of HaysMed. She said it's common in a normal year for pediatric patients to be admitted for influenza or RSV. "We rely upon the same nurses, who are in short supply," she said. "The COVID patients are taking up resources for RSV patients," noting children have been transferred to Kansas Mercy Hospital or Wichita due to space and staff concerns.<h2>'An interesting conversation'</h2>Pope said she encounters three main mindsets after asking her patients' parents if they have been vaccinated."It's an interesting conversation," she said. "The response is 'yes' or a quiet 'no' or a very robust 'no.' "When I ask 'Then what are your concerns?' ... 25 to 50 percent of them don't want to talk about it. There's no conversation to be had. I restate the science, tell them I have no concerns and tell them I've put my money where my mouth is ..."Of the "hard no" parents, she added, "I don't think I've had much success. The 'soft nos,' I've convinced some of the parents to get the vaccine, which is probably the first step to getting the kids vaccinated."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639334167087.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Harris said the vaccine discussion is a frustration for herself and the hospital staff."It's frustrating and sad to know so many people don't have to get so sick," she said. "I see it on a regular occurence with unvaccinated patients I've counseled. ... They don't get vaccinated, and they pass away or have weeks and months of getting better."We keep trying to encourage people every day the best we can, but we kind of start running out of gas."Pope said the staff of the pediatric center is "really exhausted" after nearly two years of battling COVID. She noted that many times the pediatric staff is the parents' first real conversation with a health professional, as parents with children often spend more time in a doctor's office with their kids than with their primary care physician. Pope added that the pediatric staff has been providing vaccinations before the clinic opens, meaning staffers have been working early since May or June. <h2>The risk</h2>The risk, Harris said, isn't the vaccine or necessarily that teens will become extremely ill —&nbsp;although she said there has been a steady increase in youth hospitalizations since the delta variant arrived in Kansas.A larger concern is that teens and college students are "highly effective at spreading illness.""There are multiple examples where we've seen teenagers, inadvertently, who have been sick with COVID and then have spread it to elderly grandparents —&nbsp;and the grandparents have passed away," she said. "You have to protect the people around you."Teens are also developing socially and educationally, and COVID can be a major life disruption."(The vaccine) is protecting them from missing school, missing activities," she said. "And if you can keep your kiddo from not feeling terrible for 10 to 14 days, that doesn't seem like such a terrible idea."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639333645643.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The decision</h2>Both Harris and Pope said there is a time when parents have to parent when to comes to the vaccine."More kids have died from COVID than influenza in any year," Pope said. "It's mild for most kids, but still significant. ... You just never know if that's going to be your kid or not."Teenagers should be part of the conversation because we're teaching them to be adults, right?" she added. "You're either going to get COVID or get the vaccine. We can't make COVID go away. But we can control it."She noted "natural immunity" for those who have previously contracted COVID is not nearly as effective as the vaccine. When the body attacks a natural virus, it creates a wide variety of proteins to ward off a wide variety of potential causes. With the vaccine, those proteins are aimed directly at COVID."If you get the vaccine after you had had COVID, you boost that spike protein that has the most benefit," Pope said, adding "coronavirus has always been here. We just didn't have one that made people this sick."Harris reiterated that the vaccines are safe and effective. "At some point, it's just time to be the parent and help them make good decisions and have an environment of wellness," she said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639265178870.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>With the Ellis County case rate curve ominously similar to the fall and winter of 2020, Harris said the trend could continue. "December matches the wave from last year," she said. "This is the time of the year when the peak of COVID occurs — 10 to 14 days after the holidays. People are back indoors, gathering in groups, mixing and matching their social circles, traveling."Interim Ellis County Health Department Director Kim Reel offered the following statement."CDC recommends getting the COVID vaccine," she said. "We encourage everyone to reach out to their primary care physician to discuss further."

Coronavirus Update