ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri is outsourcing contact tracing to private companies as part of the effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-outsources-contact-tracing-in-fight-against-coronavirus-spread/article_50c3fde9-946b-5188-bc8c-136fb9e97546.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest">The St. Louis Post-Dispatch&nbsp;</a>reported Tuesday that the state this week approved contracts with nine companies to help track down people who may have been in contact with those who test positive for COVID-19.

The outsourcing comes as the state continues to resolve problems with its COVID-19 dashboard that allows the public to keep track of new cases, hospitalizations, deaths and other factors related to the coronavirus. The website has not been updated since Saturday, when it showed 144,230 confirmed cases, including 5,066 reported that day.

By Sunday, the state acknowledged the one-day increase was wrong and said it was working to resolve the problem. State health department spokeswoman Lisa Cox said the aim is to have the dashboard functional again by Wednesday.

Until now, Missouri has relied largely on county health officials to pursue contact tracing.

“They know their communities,” Republican Gov. Mike Parson said in June. “They have the trust of their neighbors.”

Missouri joins other states in outsourcing the work, rather than hiring new employees, since it isn't known how long the pandemic will go on. Indiana, Florida and Kentucky also have hired companies to supply contract tracers.

One of the companies retained by the state is Virginia-based Maximus, which said in its bid that it has trained more than 2,000 contact tracers and disease investigators and supervisors, clinicians, and call center representatives.

A full-time contract tracer job at Maximus could earn the equivalent of $82,188 annually, though the contract with the state expires Dec. 30.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri is outsourcing contact tracing to private companies as part of the effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-outsources-contact-tracing-in-fight-against-coronavirus-spread/article_50c3fde9-946b-5188-bc8c-136fb9e97546.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest">The St. Louis Post-Dispatch&nbsp;</a>reported Tuesday that the state this week approved contracts with nine companies to help track down people who may have been in contact with those who test positive for COVID-19.The outsourcing comes as the state continues to resolve problems with its COVID-19 dashboard that allows the public to keep track of new cases, hospitalizations, deaths and other factors related to the coronavirus. The website has not been updated since Saturday, when it showed 144,230 confirmed cases, including 5,066 reported that day.By Sunday, the state acknowledged the one-day increase was wrong and said it was working to resolve the problem. State health department spokeswoman Lisa Cox said the aim is to have the dashboard functional again by Wednesday.Until now, Missouri has relied largely on county health officials to pursue contact tracing.“They know their communities,” Republican Gov. Mike Parson said in June. “They have the trust of their neighbors.”Missouri joins other states in outsourcing the work, rather than hiring new employees, since it isn't known how long the pandemic will go on. Indiana, Florida and Kentucky also have hired companies to supply contract tracers.One of the companies retained by the state is Virginia-based Maximus, which said in its bid that it has trained more than 2,000 contact tracers and disease investigators and supervisors, clinicians, and call center representatives.A full-time contract tracer job at Maximus could earn the equivalent of $82,188 annually, though the contract with the state expires Dec. 30.

Missouri outsources contact tracing in coronavirus battle

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — A late-stage study of Johnson &amp; Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been paused while the company investigates whether a study participant’s “unexplained illness” is related to the shot.

The company said in a statement Monday evening that illnesses, accidents and other so-called adverse events “are an expected part of any clinical study, especially large studies,” but that its physicians and a safety monitoring panel would try to determine what might have caused the illness.

The pause is at least the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-4239b8c69ba4b3703b2ca8c77810bf07">second such hold</a>&nbsp;to occur among several vaccines that have reached large-scale final tests in the U.S.

The company declined to reveal any more details about the illness, citing the participant’s privacy.

Temporary stoppages of large medical studies are relatively common. Few are made public in typical drug trials, but the work to make a coronavirus vaccine has raised the stakes on these kinds of complications.

Companies are required to investigate any serious or unexpected reaction that occurs during drug testing. Given that such tests are done on tens of thousands of people, some medical problems are a coincidence. In fact, one of the first steps the company said it will take is to determine if the person received the vaccine or a placebo.

The halt was first reported by the health news site STAT.

Final-stage testing of a vaccine made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University remains on hold in the U.S. as officials examine whether an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-82885b32aeeae6c2a0a84cadf55ced90">illness in its trial</a>&nbsp;poses a safety risk. That trial was stopped when a woman developed severe neurological symptoms consistent with transverse myelitis, a rare inflammation of the spinal cord, the company has said. That company’s testing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-drug-trials-bc340f0a92d940aff88ee140f2774aee">has restarted</a>&nbsp;elsewhere.

Johnson &amp; Johnson was aiming to enroll 60,000 volunteers to prove if its single-dose approach is safe and protects against the coronavirus. Other vaccine candidates in the U.S. require two shots.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602590971875.png" alt="photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — A late-stage study of Johnson &amp; Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been paused while the company investigates whether a study participant’s “unexplained illness” is related to the shot.The company said in a statement Monday evening that illnesses, accidents and other so-called adverse events “are an expected part of any clinical study, especially large studies,” but that its physicians and a safety monitoring panel would try to determine what might have caused the illness.The pause is at least the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-4239b8c69ba4b3703b2ca8c77810bf07">second such hold</a>&nbsp;to occur among several vaccines that have reached large-scale final tests in the U.S.The company declined to reveal any more details about the illness, citing the participant’s privacy.Temporary stoppages of large medical studies are relatively common. Few are made public in typical drug trials, but the work to make a coronavirus vaccine has raised the stakes on these kinds of complications.Companies are required to investigate any serious or unexpected reaction that occurs during drug testing. Given that such tests are done on tens of thousands of people, some medical problems are a coincidence. In fact, one of the first steps the company said it will take is to determine if the person received the vaccine or a placebo.The halt was first reported by the health news site STAT.Final-stage testing of a vaccine made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University remains on hold in the U.S. as officials examine whether an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-82885b32aeeae6c2a0a84cadf55ced90">illness in its trial</a>&nbsp;poses a safety risk. That trial was stopped when a woman developed severe neurological symptoms consistent with transverse myelitis, a rare inflammation of the spinal cord, the company has said. That company’s testing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-drug-trials-bc340f0a92d940aff88ee140f2774aee">has restarted</a>&nbsp;elsewhere.Johnson &amp; Johnson was aiming to enroll 60,000 volunteers to prove if its single-dose approach is safe and protects against the coronavirus. Other vaccine candidates in the U.S. require two shots.

2nd COVID-19 vaccine trial paused over unexplained illness

Buchanan County has recorded its 37th
coronavirus-related death; a woman in her 80's with underlying health
conditions.

St. Joseph health officials now report a total of 3,234 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began with 61 new cases reported Monday.

Mosaic Life Care reports 61 COVID-19 patients were being
treated at its St. Joseph hospital as of Tuesday morning; two coronavirus patients are hospitalized in Maryville.

Mosaic has now tested 37,571 area residents
with 3,029 testing positive. Mosaic is awaiting results
from 388 tests.

Andrew County reports 12 new cases of the coronavirus,
bringing its total to 497.

Doniphan County, Kansas reports 154 total cases.

This article has been updated with the latest numbers from Mosaic.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostBuchanan County has recorded its 37th
coronavirus-related death; a woman in her 80's with underlying health
conditions.St. Joseph health officials now report a total of 3,234 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began with 61 new cases reported Monday.Mosaic Life Care reports 61 COVID-19 patients were being
treated at its St. Joseph hospital as of Tuesday morning; two coronavirus patients are hospitalized in Maryville.Mosaic has now tested 37,571 area residents
with 3,029 testing positive. Mosaic is awaiting results
from 388 tests.Andrew County reports 12 new cases of the coronavirus,
bringing its total to 497.Doniphan County, Kansas reports 154 total cases.This article has been updated with the latest numbers from Mosaic.

Buchanan County records 37th coronavirus-related death

COVID-19 hospitalizations have jumped back up over 60 once
again.

Mosaic Life Care reports 65 coronavirus patients are being
treated at its St. Joseph hospital as of Monday morning.

Mosaic has now tested 37,117 area residents
with 2,981 testing positive. Mosaic is awaiting results
from 131 tests.

St. Joseph health officials reported 63 new cases of COVID-19 on
Friday, bringing the county total to 3,106 since the pandemic began.
The county has recorded 36 coronavirus-related deaths.

Andrew County reports three new cases of COVID-19, bringing its
total to 485 since the pandemic began.

Doniphan County, Kansas reports a total of 140 cases.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostCOVID-19 hospitalizations have jumped back up over 60 once
again.Mosaic Life Care reports 65 coronavirus patients are being
treated at its St. Joseph hospital as of Monday morning.Mosaic has now tested 37,117 area residents
with 2,981 testing positive. Mosaic is awaiting results
from 131 tests.St. Joseph health officials reported 63 new cases of COVID-19 on
Friday, bringing the county total to 3,106 since the pandemic began.
The county has recorded 36 coronavirus-related deaths.Andrew County reports three new cases of COVID-19, bringing its
total to 485 since the pandemic began.Doniphan County, Kansas reports a total of 140 cases.

COVID-19 hospitalizations jump up again in St. Joseph

REPUBLIC COUNTY —The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, along with local public health, are advising people who attended an auction in Republic County on September 26 that they may have been exposed to COVID-19, as six of cases have been connected to the event to date, according to a media release from KDHE.

 The auction was held at 208 Bedford Street in Cuba, Kansas on September 26 from about 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This auction had attendees from other communities in Kansas as well as those from out of state.

Anyone who attended this event should be aware of symptoms of COVID which can develop up to 14 days after exposure. Those symptoms include fever, cough, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, fatigue, diarrhea, and/or shortness of breath/difficulty breathing. If symptoms develop, please stay home and contact your health care provider or local health department for guidance on testing. In an emergency please call 911 and notify first responders that you were potentially exposed to COVID-19 and, if possible, wear a cloth face mask before they arrive.

REPUBLIC COUNTY —The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, along with local public health, are advising people who attended an auction in Republic County on September 26 that they may have been exposed to COVID-19, as six of cases have been connected to the event to date, according to a media release from KDHE. The auction was held at 208 Bedford Street in Cuba, Kansas on September 26 from about 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This auction had attendees from other communities in Kansas as well as those from out of state.Anyone who attended this event should be aware of symptoms of COVID which can develop up to 14 days after exposure. Those symptoms include fever, cough, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, fatigue, diarrhea, and/or shortness of breath/difficulty breathing. If symptoms develop, please stay home and contact your health care provider or local health department for guidance on testing. In an emergency please call 911 and notify first responders that you were potentially exposed to COVID-19 and, if possible, wear a cloth face mask before they arrive.

KDHE: COVID-19 cases linked to Republic Co. auction

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-10-08/clues-from-the-blood-of-kansans-suggest-the-coronavirus-pandemic-could-stick-around-for-a-long-time">Kansas News Service</a>

Perhaps two in every 50 Kansans have <a href="https://www.livescience.com/antibodies.html" target="_blank">antibodies</a> swimming in their bloodstream that show they’ve had COVID-19.

That relatively low number — based on the assumption that <a href="https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html" target="_blank">blood donors</a>
 reflect the broader population — suggests a gloomy reality. Kansas is 
still in the early days of this pandemic and it's looking at a future 
likely to bring many more cases than it has so far seen.

“Absolutely,”
 said Roger Shapiro, an immunologist at Harvard University’s School of 
Public Health. “When you look at these figures, you realize how far we 
are from herd immunity.”

The overwhelming number of Kansans, perhaps more than 95%, haven’t yet experienced the virus that has killed more than <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality" target="_blank">200,000 Americans</a>.

So
 medical pros say the only thing to do is sit tight, keep your masks on 
and stay away from other people, until we have a vaccine.

“This
 is not the time to play a guessing game of, ‘Do I have the flu or do I 
have COVID?’” said Gigi Gronvall, an immunologist at Johns Hopkins’ 
Center for Health Security.

Many people still can’t get fast 
coronavirus tests that would let them isolate in time to stop the 
disease from spreading further, and hospitals remain at risk of getting 
overwhelmed by coronavirus and flu cases this fall.

The
 human body produces antibodies when exposed to a disease, to fend it 
off. And those microscopic defenders can stick around after recovery.

So the American Red Cross screens blood donations for antibodies against <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/naming-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-2019)-and-the-virus-that-causes-it" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2</a>, the virus behind COVID-19. It then sends <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=160&amp;ContentID=37" target="_blank">plasma</a>
 with the specialized proteins to hospitals treating coronavirus 
patients, and it reports how often it detects the antibodies to state 
health agencies trying to piece together the bigger picture.

Nationally, the <a href="https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html" target="_blank">Red Cross</a> has tested about 1.2 million blood donations for the antibodies.

From
 mid-June to mid-September, it found them in about 2% of donations 
nationally. The same was true for Kansas donors. It’s not known how well
 that statistic might reflect the broader population.

Weekly 
tallies suggest the number of people carrying the antibodies has ticked 
upward in Kansas, as elsewhere. In recent weeks, the Red Cross reported 
antibodies in 4% to 5% of Kansas donations.

Could someone with 
antibodies catch the virus again a year from now and get seriously sick?
 How about two years from now? Or could they catch it, not show any 
symptoms, and spread the virus anyway? Scientists can’t yet say.

“This
 is not a get-out-of-jail-free card,” Gronvall said. If a test shows you
 have antibodies, she said, you should still wear a mask and follow 
social distancing rules.

Recent reports of a few patients catching the novel coronavirus <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/28/covid-19-reinfection-implications/" target="_blank">more than once</a>
 in a relatively short time may not signal what to expect for most 
people, but leave open the possibility that one infection doesn’t 
protect you against another.

The Red Cross reported in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770771" target="_blank">a medical journal</a>
 last month that blood donations from people of color test positive for 
the antibodies at a higher rate than blood from white donors.

That matches <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/expert-answers/coronavirus-infection-by-race/faq-20488802" target="_blank">other research</a>
 that shows communities of color bearing the brunt of the pandemic. It 
likely reflects broader social and economic disparities, such as lower 
incomes and a greater likelihood of working high-risk jobs that involve 
in-person contact with many customers or colleagues in a single day.

The virus spread fast in crowded Kansas <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/emails-show-kansas-agencies-helped-keep-meatpacking-plants-open-despite-concerns-about" target="_blank">meatpacking plants</a>, for example, that rely heavily on the labor of people of color in southwest Kansas.

Some
 studies and modeling point to higher antibody rates nationally and 
globally than the Red Cross has seen among blood donors, but still don’t
 offer good news.

“The (World Health Organization) just came out with an estimate that maybe <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/10-worlds-people-infected-virus-73427817" target="_blank">up to 10%</a>
 of the world has been infected,” Shapiro said. “But even at that 
number, we’re still so far from achieving herd immunity. … We really 
need to create immunity with a vaccine.”

Vaccines <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-understand-color-office.pdf" target="_blank">mimic natural infections</a>. They kick a person’s immune system into gear so that it churns out antibodies and stores viral information in <a href="https://askabiologist.asu.edu/memory-b-cell" target="_blank">memory cells</a>
 that could defend us even after those antibodies fade. (Researchers 
have found SARS-CoV-2 antibodies triggered by natural infection two or 
even three months after infection, and say it varies from person to 
person.)

Ongoing coronavirus vaccine trials aim to check how 
protective these immune responses will prove long-term, and whether 
people will need booster shots over time to keep their defenses up.

Part
 of the benefit from vaccines will ultimately come from the sheer number
 of people who would gain some level of protection at once.

“As we
 get to high enough vaccine levels, the herd immunity will actually just
 lower the amount of virus that’s circulating,” Shapiro said. “There 
will be just less virus around. This is our hope.”

The Red Cross’ free antibody tests serve three functions.

They
 gather the information that helps public health experts studying the 
virus’ spread, and they allow the Red Cross to flag plasma with 
antibodies for hospitals.

Scientists <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/513405-science-inconclusive-on-use-of-convalescent-plasma-in-covid-19-patients" target="_blank">still can’t say</a> whether the donated plasma works for treating COVID-19. A separate, <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/provocative-results-boost-hopes-antibody-treatment-covid-19" target="_blank">lab-based approach</a>, may prove more effective.

But either way, donations remain as critical as ever to the nation’s blood supply.

And that’s a third reason for offering antibody tests. They attract people to <a href="https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html" target="_blank">keep donating</a> amid the pandemic.

The
 Red Cross uses respected tests, and when a blood sample proves positive
 for antibodies, it double-checks with a second, high-quality process.

For
 people who had respiratory symptoms in recent months — but couldn’t get
 checked for COVID-19 because of the nationwide shortage of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/testing-overview.html" target="_blank">viral tests</a> — that may satisfy their curiosity.

And
 that could help keep donations flowing as the pandemic hampers 
traditional blood drives, such as a major annual effort that would have 
attracted thousands of donors next week.

“The biggest blood
 drive the Red Cross does across the country is at the University of 
Missouri in Columbia,” said Joe Zydlo, a regional communications manager
 in St. Louis. “And that has been canceled.”

Meanwhile, Gronvall 
advises against buying an antibody test somewhere. After all, the 
information won’t help you medically, she said, and many products are 
unreliable anyway.

“There’s just been so many bad tests out there,” she said. “Right now I would not spend money on it.”

Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Celia_LJ" target="_blank">@celia_LJ</a> or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602251360190.png" alt=" Photo illustration by Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Photo illustration by Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-10-08/clues-from-the-blood-of-kansans-suggest-the-coronavirus-pandemic-could-stick-around-for-a-long-time">Kansas News Service</a>Perhaps two in every 50 Kansans have <a href="https://www.livescience.com/antibodies.html" target="_blank">antibodies</a> swimming in their bloodstream that show they’ve had COVID-19.That relatively low number — based on the assumption that <a href="https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html" target="_blank">blood donors</a>
 reflect the broader population — suggests a gloomy reality. Kansas is 
still in the early days of this pandemic and it's looking at a future 
likely to bring many more cases than it has so far seen.“Absolutely,”
 said Roger Shapiro, an immunologist at Harvard University’s School of 
Public Health. “When you look at these figures, you realize how far we 
are from herd immunity.”The overwhelming number of Kansans, perhaps more than 95%, haven’t yet experienced the virus that has killed more than <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality" target="_blank">200,000 Americans</a>.So
 medical pros say the only thing to do is sit tight, keep your masks on 
and stay away from other people, until we have a vaccine.That, and get a flu shot.“This
 is not the time to play a guessing game of, ‘Do I have the flu or do I 
have COVID?’” said Gigi Gronvall, an immunologist at Johns Hopkins’ 
Center for Health Security.Many people still can’t get fast 
coronavirus tests that would let them isolate in time to stop the 
disease from spreading further, and hospitals remain at risk of getting 
overwhelmed by coronavirus and flu cases this fall.<h2>Clues in the blood</h2>The
 human body produces antibodies when exposed to a disease, to fend it 
off. And those microscopic defenders can stick around after recovery.So the American Red Cross screens blood donations for antibodies against <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/naming-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-2019)-and-the-virus-that-causes-it" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2</a>, the virus behind COVID-19. It then sends <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=160&amp;ContentID=37" target="_blank">plasma</a>
 with the specialized proteins to hospitals treating coronavirus 
patients, and it reports how often it detects the antibodies to state 
health agencies trying to piece together the bigger picture.Nationally, the <a href="https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html" target="_blank">Red Cross</a> has tested about 1.2 million blood donations for the antibodies.From
 mid-June to mid-September, it found them in about 2% of donations 
nationally. The same was true for Kansas donors. It’s not known how well
 that statistic might reflect the broader population.Weekly 
tallies suggest the number of people carrying the antibodies has ticked 
upward in Kansas, as elsewhere. In recent weeks, the Red Cross reported 
antibodies in 4% to 5% of Kansas donations.Could someone with 
antibodies catch the virus again a year from now and get seriously sick?
 How about two years from now? Or could they catch it, not show any 
symptoms, and spread the virus anyway? Scientists can’t yet say.“This
 is not a get-out-of-jail-free card,” Gronvall said. If a test shows you
 have antibodies, she said, you should still wear a mask and follow 
social distancing rules.Recent reports of a few patients catching the novel coronavirus <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/28/covid-19-reinfection-implications/" target="_blank">more than once</a>
 in a relatively short time may not signal what to expect for most 
people, but leave open the possibility that one infection doesn’t 
protect you against another.<h2>Greater risk</h2>The Red Cross reported in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2770771" target="_blank">a medical journal</a>
 last month that blood donations from people of color test positive for 
the antibodies at a higher rate than blood from white donors.That matches <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/expert-answers/coronavirus-infection-by-race/faq-20488802" target="_blank">other research</a>
 that shows communities of color bearing the brunt of the pandemic. It 
likely reflects broader social and economic disparities, such as lower 
incomes and a greater likelihood of working high-risk jobs that involve 
in-person contact with many customers or colleagues in a single day.The virus spread fast in crowded Kansas <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/emails-show-kansas-agencies-helped-keep-meatpacking-plants-open-despite-concerns-about" target="_blank">meatpacking plants</a>, for example, that rely heavily on the labor of people of color in southwest Kansas.<h2>The need for a vaccine</h2>Some
 studies and modeling point to higher antibody rates nationally and 
globally than the Red Cross has seen among blood donors, but still don’t
 offer good news.“The (World Health Organization) just came out with an estimate that maybe <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/10-worlds-people-infected-virus-73427817" target="_blank">up to 10%</a>
 of the world has been infected,” Shapiro said. “But even at that 
number, we’re still so far from achieving herd immunity. … We really 
need to create immunity with a vaccine.”Vaccines <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-understand-color-office.pdf" target="_blank">mimic natural infections</a>. They kick a person’s immune system into gear so that it churns out antibodies and stores viral information in <a href="https://askabiologist.asu.edu/memory-b-cell" target="_blank">memory cells</a>
 that could defend us even after those antibodies fade. (Researchers 
have found SARS-CoV-2 antibodies triggered by natural infection two or 
even three months after infection, and say it varies from person to 
person.)Ongoing coronavirus vaccine trials aim to check how 
protective these immune responses will prove long-term, and whether 
people will need booster shots over time to keep their defenses up.Part
 of the benefit from vaccines will ultimately come from the sheer number
 of people who would gain some level of protection at once.“As we
 get to high enough vaccine levels, the herd immunity will actually just
 lower the amount of virus that’s circulating,” Shapiro said. “There 
will be just less virus around. This is our hope.”<h2>Should you get an antibody test?</h2>The Red Cross’ free antibody tests serve three functions.They
 gather the information that helps public health experts studying the 
virus’ spread, and they allow the Red Cross to flag plasma with 
antibodies for hospitals.Scientists <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/513405-science-inconclusive-on-use-of-convalescent-plasma-in-covid-19-patients" target="_blank">still can’t say</a> whether the donated plasma works for treating COVID-19. A separate, <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/provocative-results-boost-hopes-antibody-treatment-covid-19" target="_blank">lab-based approach</a>, may prove more effective.But either way, donations remain as critical as ever to the nation’s blood supply.And that’s a third reason for offering antibody tests. They attract people to <a href="https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html" target="_blank">keep donating</a> amid the pandemic.The
 Red Cross uses respected tests, and when a blood sample proves positive
 for antibodies, it double-checks with a second, high-quality process.For
 people who had respiratory symptoms in recent months — but couldn’t get
 checked for COVID-19 because of the nationwide shortage of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/testing-overview.html" target="_blank">viral tests</a> — that may satisfy their curiosity.And
 that could help keep donations flowing as the pandemic hampers 
traditional blood drives, such as a major annual effort that would have 
attracted thousands of donors next week.“The biggest blood
 drive the Red Cross does across the country is at the University of 
Missouri in Columbia,” said Joe Zydlo, a regional communications manager
 in St. Louis. “And that has been canceled.”Meanwhile, Gronvall 
advises against buying an antibody test somewhere. After all, the 
information won’t help you medically, she said, and many products are 
unreliable anyway.“There’s just been so many bad tests out there,” she said. “Right now I would not spend money on it.”Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Celia_LJ" target="_blank">@celia_LJ</a> or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Antibody tests show 'we’re still so far from achieving herd immunity'

Total coronavirus cases in Buchanan County topped 3,000 on
Thursday with the addition of 65 new cases.

Mosaic Life Care reports 56 COVID-19 patients are being
treated at its St. Joseph hospital. Mosaic also reports four COVID-19 patients
are now being treated in Maryville.

Mosaic has now tested nearly 36,542 area residents with 2,874
testing positive. Mosaic is awaiting results of 304 tests.

St. Joseph health officials reported 65 new COVID-19 cases on
Thursday, bringing the county total to 3,043 cases.

Andrew County health officials report 13 new cases, bringing
its coronavirus case total since the pandemic began to 471.

Doniphan County, Kansas reports 123 cases.

Missouri reports 139,164 total cases, resulting in 2,395
deaths.

Kansas reports 63,952 total cases with 723 deaths.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostTotal coronavirus cases in Buchanan County topped 3,000 on
Thursday with the addition of 65 new cases.Mosaic Life Care reports 56 COVID-19 patients are being
treated at its St. Joseph hospital. Mosaic also reports four COVID-19 patients
are now being treated in Maryville.Mosaic has now tested nearly 36,542 area residents with 2,874
testing positive. Mosaic is awaiting results of 304 tests.St. Joseph health officials reported 65 new COVID-19 cases on
Thursday, bringing the county total to 3,043 cases.Andrew County health officials report 13 new cases, bringing
its coronavirus case total since the pandemic began to 471.Doniphan County, Kansas reports 123 cases.Missouri reports 139,164 total cases, resulting in 2,395
deaths.Kansas reports 63,952 total cases with 723 deaths.

Buchanan County tops 3K COVID-19 cases

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Treating the sick and dying isn't even the toughest part for nurse Amelia Montgomery as the coronavirus surges in her corner of red America.

It's dealing with patients and relatives who don't believe the virus is real, refuse to wear masks and demand treatments like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b9b6dc204d780fac7e6a79c1dbf21b8d">hydroxychloroquine,</a>&nbsp;which President Donald Trump has championed even though experts say it is not effective against the scourge that has killed over 210,000 in the U.S.

Montgomery finds herself, like so many other doctors and nurses, in a world where the politics of the crisis are complicating treatment efforts, with some people even resisting getting tested.

It's unclear how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-donald-trump-infectious-diseases-michael-pence-a037f5cf6d6f14f90313a3aa7cd58043">Trump’s&nbsp;</a>bout with the virus will affect the situation, but some doctors aren't optimistic. After a few days of treatment at a military hospital, the president tweeted Monday, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. ... I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”

After one tough shift on the coronavirus unit at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, Montgomery went onto Facebook to vent her frustrations about caring for patients who didn't socially distance because they didn't believe the virus was real. The hospital later shared her post on its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coxhealth.com/newsroom/letter-heart-covid-19-nurse/">website</a>.

She complained that some people demand the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and think the only patients who get really sick have underlying health problems.

“The majority of people don’t understand and can’t picture what we are seeing. That has been frustrating for all of us,” Montgomery said in an interview, adding: “It wears.”

Combating virus skeptics is a battle across the country.

In Georgia, at Augusta University Medical Center, visitors have tried to get around the mask requirement by wearing face coverings made of fishnet and other material with visible holes, something the hospital has dubbed “malicious compliance." People also have shown up with video cameras in an attempt to collect proof the virus is a hoax, said Dr. Phillip Coule, the health system's chief medical officer, who contracted the virus in July and has seen two staff members die.

“Just imagine that while you are caring for your own staff that are dying from this disease, and while you are trying to keep yourself safe, and you are trying to keep your family safe, and you are trying to deal with a disease that such little is known about, and then to have somebody tell you that it is all a hoax after you have been dealing with that all day," he said. “Imagine the emotional distress that that causes.”

He said most skeptics — including some who have argued with him on Facebook — are converted to believers when they get sick themselves. And he is starting to hear fewer people dismiss the virus entirely since the president was diagnosed.

“It is unfortunate that the president has contracted the disease, but it is difficult for groups who support the president to be out there saying it doesn’t exist," he said.

But he also said he fears people may draw the wrong lesson about the seriousness of the disease from what happened to Trump: "People may extrapolate that the risk for a 74 is low when the reality is the risk to a 74 year-old is quite high."

Dr. Beth Oller, who practices family medicine with her physician-husband in rural Kansas' Rooks County, isn't optimistic the president's diagnosis will change much in her community, where cases are on the rise, many resist masks, and weddings with hundreds of guests have been held in recent weeks.

“None of the things he did since he had it have helped us a bit, and, if anything, would fly in the face of it," she said, noting that the president took his mask off as soon as he returned to the White House. “All he did was continue to show people that the things we are saying to do are overblown and an overreaction. As a physician, it is so damn frustrating."

The issue has been a challenge in red states for months.

In Iowa, home health nurse Lisa Dockery was fired from her job caring for a boy with severe disabilities after arguing with his parents, who said COVID-19 is a “hoax.” The argument started because the parents refused to wear masks around Dockery and the boy, even though she told them their son's life was in danger because he has respiratory problems, relies on tube feedings and cannot walk, state unemployment records show.

The case ended with a judge ordering her former employer to pay her unemployment.

Dr. Gary LeRoy, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said he isn’t surprised that it has been so hard to persuade the public, noting that there was also a lot of denial as the Spanish flu was sweeping across the world a century ago, killing tens of millions of people.

“When you look at human history, it is what happens in every situation," he said. “In war, in famine, in disease, there is going to be a population of people where the bombs are dropping all around them and they don’t believe that it exists.”

Dr. Brad Burmeister, an emergency medicine physician at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin, said he has encountered a few patients who have declined to be tested for the coronavirus despite having possible symptoms.

“They say they don’t want to become a statistic or some kind of rhetoric like that," he said, adding that he thinks a shift might be coming, given what happened to Trump. “It just sort of shows how infectious COVID-19 is and how easily it can spread, that even when you are taking all of those precautions, you can still get infected with the virus."

Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, a family physician in Phoenix, said politics often come up in discussions with patients who come in asking whether the death toll is being inflated.

“It’s an info-demic as well as a pandemic,” she lamented.

Dr. Jay W. Lee, a family physician in Orange County, California, recalled a patient who demanded the “largest hydroxychloroquine prescription you can give me."

“If I didn’t have my mask on, he would have seen my mouth agape,” said Lee, chief of the Share Our Selves medical clinics, adding that a small number of patients “flat-out said this was a hoax."

He has found himself turning to&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/familydocwonk">social media</a>&nbsp;and meeting with elected leaders to combat some of the misinformation.

“I think part of it is we feel like we can’t just sit back and take it because silence is complicity,” he said.

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Treating the sick and dying isn't even the toughest part for nurse Amelia Montgomery as the coronavirus surges in her corner of red America.It's dealing with patients and relatives who don't believe the virus is real, refuse to wear masks and demand treatments like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b9b6dc204d780fac7e6a79c1dbf21b8d">hydroxychloroquine,</a>&nbsp;which President Donald Trump has championed even though experts say it is not effective against the scourge that has killed over 210,000 in the U.S.Montgomery finds herself, like so many other doctors and nurses, in a world where the politics of the crisis are complicating treatment efforts, with some people even resisting getting tested.It's unclear how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-donald-trump-infectious-diseases-michael-pence-a037f5cf6d6f14f90313a3aa7cd58043">Trump’s&nbsp;</a>bout with the virus will affect the situation, but some doctors aren't optimistic. After a few days of treatment at a military hospital, the president tweeted Monday, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. ... I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”After one tough shift on the coronavirus unit at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, Montgomery went onto Facebook to vent her frustrations about caring for patients who didn't socially distance because they didn't believe the virus was real. The hospital later shared her post on its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coxhealth.com/newsroom/letter-heart-covid-19-nurse/">website</a>.She complained that some people demand the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and think the only patients who get really sick have underlying health problems.“The majority of people don’t understand and can’t picture what we are seeing. That has been frustrating for all of us,” Montgomery said in an interview, adding: “It wears.”Combating virus skeptics is a battle across the country.In Georgia, at Augusta University Medical Center, visitors have tried to get around the mask requirement by wearing face coverings made of fishnet and other material with visible holes, something the hospital has dubbed “malicious compliance." People also have shown up with video cameras in an attempt to collect proof the virus is a hoax, said Dr. Phillip Coule, the health system's chief medical officer, who contracted the virus in July and has seen two staff members die.“Just imagine that while you are caring for your own staff that are dying from this disease, and while you are trying to keep yourself safe, and you are trying to keep your family safe, and you are trying to deal with a disease that such little is known about, and then to have somebody tell you that it is all a hoax after you have been dealing with that all day," he said. “Imagine the emotional distress that that causes.”He said most skeptics — including some who have argued with him on Facebook — are converted to believers when they get sick themselves. And he is starting to hear fewer people dismiss the virus entirely since the president was diagnosed.“It is unfortunate that the president has contracted the disease, but it is difficult for groups who support the president to be out there saying it doesn’t exist," he said.But he also said he fears people may draw the wrong lesson about the seriousness of the disease from what happened to Trump: "People may extrapolate that the risk for a 74 is low when the reality is the risk to a 74 year-old is quite high."Dr. Beth Oller, who practices family medicine with her physician-husband in rural Kansas' Rooks County, isn't optimistic the president's diagnosis will change much in her community, where cases are on the rise, many resist masks, and weddings with hundreds of guests have been held in recent weeks.“None of the things he did since he had it have helped us a bit, and, if anything, would fly in the face of it," she said, noting that the president took his mask off as soon as he returned to the White House. “All he did was continue to show people that the things we are saying to do are overblown and an overreaction. As a physician, it is so damn frustrating."The issue has been a challenge in red states for months.In Iowa, home health nurse Lisa Dockery was fired from her job caring for a boy with severe disabilities after arguing with his parents, who said COVID-19 is a “hoax.” The argument started because the parents refused to wear masks around Dockery and the boy, even though she told them their son's life was in danger because he has respiratory problems, relies on tube feedings and cannot walk, state unemployment records show.The case ended with a judge ordering her former employer to pay her unemployment.Dr. Gary LeRoy, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said he isn’t surprised that it has been so hard to persuade the public, noting that there was also a lot of denial as the Spanish flu was sweeping across the world a century ago, killing tens of millions of people.“When you look at human history, it is what happens in every situation," he said. “In war, in famine, in disease, there is going to be a population of people where the bombs are dropping all around them and they don’t believe that it exists.”Dr. Brad Burmeister, an emergency medicine physician at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin, said he has encountered a few patients who have declined to be tested for the coronavirus despite having possible symptoms.“They say they don’t want to become a statistic or some kind of rhetoric like that," he said, adding that he thinks a shift might be coming, given what happened to Trump. “It just sort of shows how infectious COVID-19 is and how easily it can spread, that even when you are taking all of those precautions, you can still get infected with the virus."Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, a family physician in Phoenix, said politics often come up in discussions with patients who come in asking whether the death toll is being inflated.“It’s an info-demic as well as a pandemic,” she lamented.Dr. Jay W. Lee, a family physician in Orange County, California, recalled a patient who demanded the “largest hydroxychloroquine prescription you can give me."“If I didn’t have my mask on, he would have seen my mouth agape,” said Lee, chief of the Share Our Selves medical clinics, adding that a small number of patients “flat-out said this was a hoax."He has found himself turning to&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/familydocwonk">social media</a>&nbsp;and meeting with elected leaders to combat some of the misinformation.“I think part of it is we feel like we can’t just sit back and take it because silence is complicity,” he said.

'So frustrating': Doctors and nurses battle virus skeptics

Mosaic Life Care reports a spike in COVID hospitalizations in
St. Joseph with the latest numbers indicating a leveling off.

Mosaic Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Davin Turner, says 68 COVID
patients were being treated at the St. Joseph hospital Wednesday, up from 59
previously.

“We have seven patients in our ICU. Four of those patients are
on ventilators,” Turner tells reporters. “We have two positive patients in our
hospital in Maryville.”

Mosaic Thursday morning reported a drop in hospitalizations,
with 55 patients in St. Joseph and two in Maryville.

The 5th floor of the St. Joseph hospital, which has
48 beds and is the hospital pandemic ward, is full. Ten patients were being
treated on the 2nd floor Wednesday as the 4th floor, with
another 48 beds, is being prepared for coronavirus patients.

“This is dynamic. As the numbers will start to plateau and go
down, we’ll eventually just end back up on 5, completely,” according to Turner.
“You need to continue to watch the city numbers. As you see the city numbers,
positivity on a daily rate, go up it should not be a surprise that we have an
increased number of hospitalized patients.”

St. Joseph health officials reported 82 new coronavirus cases
on Tuesday, 75 on Monday. The numbers Wednesday fell off of those highs with 45
new cases reported in Buchanan County, bringing the total county number since
the pandemic began to 2,978.

St. Joseph health officials also reported the county’s 36th
coronavirus-related death, a man in his 70s with an underlying health condition.

Turner says Mosaic in St. Joseph has the space, equipment, and
staff to handle the current number of COVID-19 patients, though he says the increase
is stretching the Mosaic nursing staff.

“Staffing’s tight. When we’re at this level and you have this
many COVID patients in your house, it’s tight. I’m not going to tell you it’s
not,” Turner says. “We have staffing, but our staff, our nurses, our techs, I’m
telling you, our cleaning people, they are working around the clock to take
care of these folks, but it’s tight. I’m not going to tell you it’s not.”

Mosaic has now tested 35,861 area residents with 2,831 testing
positive for COVID-19.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602167449399.jpeg" alt="Dr. Davin Turner/Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Davin Turner/Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMosaic Life Care reports a spike in COVID hospitalizations in
St. Joseph with the latest numbers indicating a leveling off.Mosaic Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Davin Turner, says 68 COVID
patients were being treated at the St. Joseph hospital Wednesday, up from 59
previously.“We have seven patients in our ICU. Four of those patients are
on ventilators,” Turner tells reporters. “We have two positive patients in our
hospital in Maryville.”Mosaic Thursday morning reported a drop in hospitalizations,
with 55 patients in St. Joseph and two in Maryville.The 5th floor of the St. Joseph hospital, which has
48 beds and is the hospital pandemic ward, is full. Ten patients were being
treated on the 2nd floor Wednesday as the 4th floor, with
another 48 beds, is being prepared for coronavirus patients.“This is dynamic. As the numbers will start to plateau and go
down, we’ll eventually just end back up on 5, completely,” according to Turner.
“You need to continue to watch the city numbers. As you see the city numbers,
positivity on a daily rate, go up it should not be a surprise that we have an
increased number of hospitalized patients.”St. Joseph health officials reported 82 new coronavirus cases
on Tuesday, 75 on Monday. The numbers Wednesday fell off of those highs with 45
new cases reported in Buchanan County, bringing the total county number since
the pandemic began to 2,978.St. Joseph health officials also reported the county’s 36th
coronavirus-related death, a man in his 70s with an underlying health condition.Turner says Mosaic in St. Joseph has the space, equipment, and
staff to handle the current number of COVID-19 patients, though he says the increase
is stretching the Mosaic nursing staff.“Staffing’s tight. When we’re at this level and you have this
many COVID patients in your house, it’s tight. I’m not going to tell you it’s
not,” Turner says. “We have staffing, but our staff, our nurses, our techs, I’m
telling you, our cleaning people, they are working around the clock to take
care of these folks, but it’s tight. I’m not going to tell you it’s not.”Mosaic has now tested 35,861 area residents with 2,831 testing
positive for COVID-19.

Mosaic prepares for the worst as hospitalizations rise

The St. Joseph City Council voted to extend the current mask mandate another 30 days.

The order, <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/951a5f77-7a42-406e-b1c3-bce1f1b1c05e">in effect since September 17th</a>, requires masks in all indoor public places. It was set to expire October 16th.

Council member Brenda Blessing, at this week's city council meeting, suggested extending the order through the end of the year.

“I don’t see in 30 days that our (COVID-19) numbers are going to drastically go down to where it was when we first did this,” Blessing says.&nbsp;“I just think we should try to do it to the end of the year instead of coming back every 30 days.”

The council voted 6 to 2 to extend the mask mandate another 30 days, through November 16th.

To view the entire order, <a href="https://www.stjoemo.info/DocumentCenter/View/12649/Declaration-and-Order-Extended-October-6-2020-PDF">click here</a>.

by SARAH THOMACKSt. Joseph PostThe St. Joseph City Council voted to extend the current mask mandate another 30 days.The order, <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/951a5f77-7a42-406e-b1c3-bce1f1b1c05e">in effect since September 17th</a>, requires masks in all indoor public places. It was set to expire October 16th.Council member Brenda Blessing, at this week's city council meeting, suggested extending the order through the end of the year.“I don’t see in 30 days that our (COVID-19) numbers are going to drastically go down to where it was when we first did this,” Blessing says.&nbsp;“I just think we should try to do it to the end of the year instead of coming back every 30 days.”The council voted 6 to 2 to extend the mask mandate another 30 days, through November 16th.To view the entire order, <a href="https://www.stjoemo.info/DocumentCenter/View/12649/Declaration-and-Order-Extended-October-6-2020-PDF">click here</a>.

St. Joseph City Council extends mask mandate through Nov. 16th

Mosaic Life Care reports a big spike in COVID-19
hospitalizations with 68 coronavirus patients now being treated in St. Joseph,
up from 59 on Tuesday.

Mosaic also reports two COVID-19 patients are being treated at
the Maryville hospital and one at the Albany hospital.

St. Joseph health officials report 82 new COVID-19 cases in
Buchanan County, bringing the county total since the pandemic began to
2,933.

Mosaic has now tested 35,861 area residents with
2,770 testing positive. Mosaic is awaiting results from 330 tests.

Andrew County health officials report three new cases of
coronavirus, bringing its total to 445. Andrew County has recorded three
deaths.

Doniphan County, Kansas reports 120 cases of coronavirus.

Missouri health officials report a total of 134,583
COVID-19 cases, resulting in 2,200 deaths.

Kansas health officials reports a total of 62,708
cases with 706 deaths.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostMosaic Life Care reports a big spike in COVID-19
hospitalizations with 68 coronavirus patients now being treated in St. Joseph,
up from 59 on Tuesday.Mosaic also reports two COVID-19 patients are being treated at
the Maryville hospital and one at the Albany hospital.St. Joseph health officials report 82 new COVID-19 cases in
Buchanan County, bringing the county total since the pandemic began to
2,933.Buchanan County has recorded 35 deaths.Mosaic has now tested 35,861 area residents with
2,770 testing positive. Mosaic is awaiting results from 330 tests.Andrew County health officials report three new cases of
coronavirus, bringing its total to 445. Andrew County has recorded three
deaths.Doniphan County, Kansas reports 120 cases of coronavirus.Missouri health officials report a total of 134,583
COVID-19 cases, resulting in 2,200 deaths.Kansas health officials reports a total of 62,708
cases with 706 deaths.

COVID hospitalizations in St. Joseph spike

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Even as some of the state’s largest districts reopen, most Kansas counties have such a high rate of new coronavirus cases that they have moved into the red zone on a key state benchmark that suggests schools consider putting the brakes on in-person classes and sports.

Seventy-five of the state’s 105 counties were in the worst reopening zone for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">two-week cumulative incident rate</a>, which measures the rate of new cases per 100,000 people and is one of five school reopening indicators established by the state, The Wichita Eagle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/coronavirus/article246231905.html" target="_blank">reports</a>. That’s an increase of 10 counties from a week ago, according to a Kansas Department of Health and Environment map published Monday using data through Saturday.

Individual districts aren’t bound by the state gating criteria and can make their own reopening decisions, often with guidance from county-level health officials.

The KDHE case rate map also placed 11 counties in the yellow zone and 16 counties in the orange zone. Under the state’s gating criteria, a blend of in-person, hybrid and remote learning is recommended in these zone. The state also urges restrictions on sports, especially high-risk activities such as football.

The number of counties in the green zone, which is the only zone that calls for all in-person classes and extracurricular activities, dropped from seven to three on the case rate map.

Among the districts sending students back to in-person classes this month are several in Douglas and Johnson counties, which are in the red zone for new cases. But the counties are in the yellow zone for the percent positivity rate.

Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called a meeting for Wednesday with eight leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature to have them extend the state’s existing declaration of a state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic.

A law enacted in June requires Kelly to obtain an extension every 30 days from the lawmakers, six of them Republicans. Without their approval, the current emergency declaration would expire Oct. 15.

Top Republicans and Kelly have been at odds over her handling of the pandemic, and GOP lawmakers have forced her to accept local control of decisions about reopening schools, mandating mask wearing and restricting businesses and public gatherings. When she and the legislative leaders met in September to extend the emergency declaration, Republicans extracted a promise that she wouldn’t try to close businesses again as she did in the spring.

The state health department reported that Kansas saw 1,597 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases from Friday to Monday, an increase of 2.5%, bringing the total cases to 62,708. The number of coronavirus cases is thought to be higher because people can be infected without feeling ill and because of limited testing early in the pandemic.

The department also reported eight new COVID-19-related deaths since Friday, bringing the total to 706. Deaths have continued to represent about 1.1% of the total number of reported cases.

Despite the rise in cases, Wichita schools will now allow parents and other fans to be spectators at sporting events, The Eagle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/sports/high-school/article246247110.html" target="_blank">reports</a>. Sedgwick County, where Wichita is located, also is in the red zone for its case rate.

Board member Mike Rodee voiced the most concern with the plan, though he voted for it. He also questioned whether COVID-19 indicators will worsen in the county “because we’re being a little bit selfish about watching a football game.”

“I want to see kids in classrooms and on the field, and I don’t want to shut those things down. The parents are about the 10th priority to me on this,” he said, adding that he understands the point of view of parents. “I want to see kids in the classroom more than I want to see parents in the stadiums.”

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Even as some of the state’s largest districts reopen, most Kansas counties have such a high rate of new coronavirus cases that they have moved into the red zone on a key state benchmark that suggests schools consider putting the brakes on in-person classes and sports.Seventy-five of the state’s 105 counties were in the worst reopening zone for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">two-week cumulative incident rate</a>, which measures the rate of new cases per 100,000 people and is one of five school reopening indicators established by the state, The Wichita Eagle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/coronavirus/article246231905.html" target="_blank">reports</a>. That’s an increase of 10 counties from a week ago, according to a Kansas Department of Health and Environment map published Monday using data through Saturday.Individual districts aren’t bound by the state gating criteria and can make their own reopening decisions, often with guidance from county-level health officials.The KDHE case rate map also placed 11 counties in the yellow zone and 16 counties in the orange zone. Under the state’s gating criteria, a blend of in-person, hybrid and remote learning is recommended in these zone. The state also urges restrictions on sports, especially high-risk activities such as football.The number of counties in the green zone, which is the only zone that calls for all in-person classes and extracurricular activities, dropped from seven to three on the case rate map.Among the districts sending students back to in-person classes this month are several in Douglas and Johnson counties, which are in the red zone for new cases. But the counties are in the yellow zone for the percent positivity rate.Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called a meeting for Wednesday with eight leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature to have them extend the state’s existing declaration of a state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic.A law enacted in June requires Kelly to obtain an extension every 30 days from the lawmakers, six of them Republicans. Without their approval, the current emergency declaration would expire Oct. 15.Top Republicans and Kelly have been at odds over her handling of the pandemic, and GOP lawmakers have forced her to accept local control of decisions about reopening schools, mandating mask wearing and restricting businesses and public gatherings. When she and the legislative leaders met in September to extend the emergency declaration, Republicans extracted a promise that she wouldn’t try to close businesses again as she did in the spring.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1601918639222.png" alt="Monday Oct. 5, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Monday Oct. 5, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>The state health department reported that Kansas saw 1,597 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases from Friday to Monday, an increase of 2.5%, bringing the total cases to 62,708. The number of coronavirus cases is thought to be higher because people can be infected without feeling ill and because of limited testing early in the pandemic.The department also reported eight new COVID-19-related deaths since Friday, bringing the total to 706. Deaths have continued to represent about 1.1% of the total number of reported cases.Despite the rise in cases, Wichita schools will now allow parents and other fans to be spectators at sporting events, The Eagle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/sports/high-school/article246247110.html" target="_blank">reports</a>. Sedgwick County, where Wichita is located, also is in the red zone for its case rate.Board member Mike Rodee voiced the most concern with the plan, though he voted for it. He also questioned whether COVID-19 indicators will worsen in the county “because we’re being a little bit selfish about watching a football game.”“I want to see kids in classrooms and on the field, and I don’t want to shut those things down. The parents are about the 10th priority to me on this,” he said, adding that he understands the point of view of parents. “I want to see kids in the classroom more than I want to see parents in the stadiums.”

Most Kansas counties enter COVID school red zone

After falling slightly over the weekend, new coronavirus cases
jumped by 75 on Monday, bringing the Buchanan County total since the pandemic
began to 2,851.

Mosaic Life Care reports an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Mosaic says 59 COVID-19 patients are being treated as of
Tuesday morning at its St. Joseph hospital with two hospitalized in Maryville.

Mosaic has now tested 35,551 area residents with
2,700 testing positive. Mosaic is awaiting results from 418 tests.

St. Joseph health officials report 25 new COVID-19 cases in
Buchanan County on Saturday, 26 on Sunday, and 75 on Monday.

Andrew County reports three new cases of COVID-19, bringing
its total to 442. Andrew County has recorded three deaths.

Doniphan County, Kansas now reports 120 cases of COVID-19.

Missouri health officials report 134,583 cases
total, resulting in 2,200 deaths.

Kansas has recorded 62,708 total cases with 706
deaths.

By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostAfter falling slightly over the weekend, new coronavirus cases
jumped by 75 on Monday, bringing the Buchanan County total since the pandemic
began to 2,851.Mosaic Life Care reports an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations.Mosaic says 59 COVID-19 patients are being treated as of
Tuesday morning at its St. Joseph hospital with two hospitalized in Maryville.Mosaic has now tested 35,551 area residents with
2,700 testing positive. Mosaic is awaiting results from 418 tests.St. Joseph health officials report 25 new COVID-19 cases in
Buchanan County on Saturday, 26 on Sunday, and 75 on Monday.Andrew County reports three new cases of COVID-19, bringing
its total to 442. Andrew County has recorded three deaths.Doniphan County, Kansas now reports 120 cases of COVID-19.Missouri health officials report 134,583 cases
total, resulting in 2,200 deaths.Kansas has recorded 62,708 total cases with 706
deaths.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations up in Buchanan County

NEW YORK (AP) —The top U.S. public health agency said Monday that the coronavirus can spread more than 6 feet through the air, especially in poorly ventilated and enclosed spaces. But agency officials maintained that such spread is uncommon and current social distancing guidelines still make sense.

However, several experts faulted the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. They said the virus can spread more easily than the CDC seems to be indicating, and suggested that the public should wear masks even in prolonged outdoor gatherings when they are more than 6 feet apart.

The virus “is traveling through the air and there is no bright line. You’re not safe beyond 6 feet. You can’t take your mask off at 6 feet,” said Dr. Donald Milton of the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

For months, the CDC has said that the virus spreads mainly through small airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Most CDC guidance about social distancing is built around that idea, saying that 6 feet is a safe buffer between people who are not wearing masks.

In interviews, CDC officials have also acknowledged growing evidence that the virus can sometimes spread on even smaller particles called aerosols that spread over a wider area.

In the update posted on its website, the agency again acknowledged recent research showing people with COVID-19 infected others who were more than 6 feet away or shortly after an infected person left an area. CDC officials called those ”limited, uncommon circumstances.”

In those cases, spread occurred in poorly ventilated and enclosed spaces where people were doing activities that caused heavier breathing, like singing or exercise, CDC officials said.

People can protect themselves by staying at least 6 feet away from others, wearing a mask, washing their hands, cleaning touched surfaces and staying home when sick

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-public-health-cfb43dd5a28dd449cd1100a067cfd112">Last month,</a>&nbsp;the CDC ignited controversy among experts when it quietly posted an update that seemed to suggest the agency’s position had changed, and then within days took it down again.

The short-lived post said the virus can remain suspended in the air and drift more than 6 feet, and officials emphasized the importance of indoor ventilation. It also added singing and breathing to the ways the virus can go airborne.

Federal health officials later said the post was a mistake and that it had been released before full editing and clearance was completed. They said there was no major change in the agency’s position, but they would finalize a post to clarify the CDC’s thinking. That’s what was posted Monday.

A small group of researchers — including Milton — on Monday published a letter in the journal Science that called for clearer public health guidance about how coronavirus spreads in the air.

They said health officials need to use clearer language in talking about the size of airborne particles and droplets that can spread the disease, and be more straightforward about the role that viruses in small aerosols can play in infecting people.

Masks and good ventilation are crucial indoors. But they can be important outdoors too, said Linsey Marr of Virginia Tech.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600453488360.png" alt="CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield during testimony before a congressional committee in August -Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield during testimony before a congressional committee in August -Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) —The top U.S. public health agency said Monday that the coronavirus can spread more than 6 feet through the air, especially in poorly ventilated and enclosed spaces. But agency officials maintained that such spread is uncommon and current social distancing guidelines still make sense.However, several experts faulted the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. They said the virus can spread more easily than the CDC seems to be indicating, and suggested that the public should wear masks even in prolonged outdoor gatherings when they are more than 6 feet apart.The virus “is traveling through the air and there is no bright line. You’re not safe beyond 6 feet. You can’t take your mask off at 6 feet,” said Dr. Donald Milton of the University of Maryland School of Public Health.For months, the CDC has said that the virus spreads mainly through small airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Most CDC guidance about social distancing is built around that idea, saying that 6 feet is a safe buffer between people who are not wearing masks.In interviews, CDC officials have also acknowledged growing evidence that the virus can sometimes spread on even smaller particles called aerosols that spread over a wider area.In the update posted on its website, the agency again acknowledged recent research showing people with COVID-19 infected others who were more than 6 feet away or shortly after an infected person left an area. CDC officials called those ”limited, uncommon circumstances.”In those cases, spread occurred in poorly ventilated and enclosed spaces where people were doing activities that caused heavier breathing, like singing or exercise, CDC officials said.People can protect themselves by staying at least 6 feet away from others, wearing a mask, washing their hands, cleaning touched surfaces and staying home when sick<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-public-health-cfb43dd5a28dd449cd1100a067cfd112">Last month,</a>&nbsp;the CDC ignited controversy among experts when it quietly posted an update that seemed to suggest the agency’s position had changed, and then within days took it down again.The short-lived post said the virus can remain suspended in the air and drift more than 6 feet, and officials emphasized the importance of indoor ventilation. It also added singing and breathing to the ways the virus can go airborne.Federal health officials later said the post was a mistake and that it had been released before full editing and clearance was completed. They said there was no major change in the agency’s position, but they would finalize a post to clarify the CDC’s thinking. That’s what was posted Monday.A small group of researchers — including Milton — on Monday published a letter in the journal Science that called for clearer public health guidance about how coronavirus spreads in the air.They said health officials need to use clearer language in talking about the size of airborne particles and droplets that can spread the disease, and be more straightforward about the role that viruses in small aerosols can play in infecting people.Masks and good ventilation are crucial indoors. But they can be important outdoors too, said Linsey Marr of Virginia Tech.___

CDC updates guidelines on how coronavirus spreads

The St. Joseph School District Board of Education voted Monday night to follow the district administration’s recommendation to move to a hybrid learning model beginning Monday, Oct. 12th.

According to a press release from the district, during the past week the district has seen an increase in the number of school staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19 or are quarantined due to a close contact with a positive person. The district says finding substitutes to fill some of the positions has been extremely difficult.

In-person classes will be held Tuesday, Oct. 6, but schools will be closed the remainder of the week – Oct. 7, 8 and 9 in preparation for this transition – this includes students who attend Hillyard Technical Center. No remote learning will take place on those three days for in-person students.

For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.sjsd.k12.mo.us/news/september_2020/s_j_s_d_moves_to_hybrid_learning_model">St. Joseph School District's website</a>.

The St. Joseph School District Board of Education voted Monday night to follow the district administration’s recommendation to move to a hybrid learning model beginning Monday, Oct. 12th.According to a press release from the district, during the past week the district has seen an increase in the number of school staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19 or are quarantined due to a close contact with a positive person. The district says finding substitutes to fill some of the positions has been extremely difficult.In-person classes will be held Tuesday, Oct. 6, but schools will be closed the remainder of the week – Oct. 7, 8 and 9 in preparation for this transition – this includes students who attend Hillyard Technical Center. No remote learning will take place on those three days for in-person students.For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.sjsd.k12.mo.us/news/september_2020/s_j_s_d_moves_to_hybrid_learning_model">St. Joseph School District's website</a>.The administration and Board of Education will re-evaluate the hybrid learning plan at its regularly scheduled meetings on the 4th Monday of the month.

Coronavirus Update