4 p.m. COVID-19 update

KMBC9 NEWS AT 4 MOMENTS AGO THEUS HIT THE HALF MILLION MARKETDEBTS FROM COVID-19 MORE THANTHE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE INKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI MORE THANANY OTHER COUNTRY AND IT’S WHYTHE PRESIDENT IS ORDERING THELOWERING OF FLAGS TO HALF STAFFFOR FIVE DAYS IN MEMORY OF THESELIVES LOST.GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY.I’M CHRIS KATZ MARY MALONEY ISIN WASHINGTON TO EXPLAIN HOWCONGRESS IS REACTING TO THISGRIM MILESTONE.IF I COULD TELL HER ANYTHING,MAYBE I YOU SO MUCH.I KNOW THAT THE LORD HAS YOUMILLIONS OF MEMORIES ABOUT THEHALF A MILLION AMERICAN LIVESLOST TO COVID-19.SHE WAS MY BIGGEST ROLE MODELDEFINITELY NOTICE ON CAPITOLHILL A MOMENT OF SILENCE ANDREMEMBERANCE OF MORE THAN ONE500,000 AMERICANS WHO PASSEDAWAY FROM THE COVID-19 VIRUS.FAMILY SHATTERED BUSINESSESSHUTTERED AND THE ECONOMYDEVASTATED AMERICAN SMALLBUSINESSES ARE HURTING ANDHURTING BADLY.AND THEY NEED HELP NOW TO HELPTHE SMALLEST OF BUSINESSES ANDNONPROFITS STARTING WEDNESDAY.PRESIDENT.BIDEN IS GIVING THOSE WITH FEWERTHAN 20 EMPLOYEES EXCLUSIVEACCESS TO APPLY FOR PAYCHECKPROTECTION PROGRAM LOANS FOR TWOWEEKS.THIS IS A STARTING POINT.NOT THE ENDING POINT.WE NEED CONGRESS TO PASS MYAMERICAN RESCUE PLAN AS OF NOWTHE NEARLY TWO TRILLION DOLLARPLAN HAS NO CONGRESSIONALREPUBLICAN SUPPORT.THIS IS THE WRONG PLAN AT THEWRONG TIME AND FOR ALL THE WRONGREASONS, BUT DEMOCRATS STICKINGTOGETHER ARE MOVING TOWARD AHOUSEBOAT BY THE END OF THEWEEK.WE AREN’T GOING TO WAIT.WE’RE GOING TO PASS THISLEGISLATION AND WE ARE GOING TOTURN THIS PANDEMIC AND ECONOMICCRISIS AROUND THEIR GOAL GET THEBILL SIGNED INTO LAW BY MARCH14TH IN WASHINGTON.I’M MARY MALONEY, DR. ANTHONYFAUCI SAYS AMERICANS MAY HAVE TOWEAR A MASK AND PRACTICE SOCIALDISTANCING INTO NEXT YEARDOCTORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OFKANSAS.SYSTEM SAY BASED ON WHAT THEY’RESEEING.THEY’RE NOT SURPRISED.IF WE COULD GET 90% OF AMERICANSVACCINATED IN A SHORT TIMEFRAME, THEN WE PROBABLY WOULDN’THAVE TO WEAR MASKS INTO 2022.I THINK THE PROBLEM IS OURVACCINE ROLLOUT IS GOING SLOWERTHAN WE HOPE.EVEN WITH POTENTIALLY EMERGENCYFDA APPROVAL OF THE JOHNSON &JOHNSON VACCINE THIS WEEKDOCTORS SAY IT’S LIKELY IT COULDBE LATE MAY OR EARLY JUNE BEFOREIT’S AVAILABLE TO THE GENERALPUBLIC NEW DETAILS ABOUT THEFAST SPREADING UK VARIANT ASTHERE’S ONE CONFIRMED CASE INMISSOURI, BUT THE STATE’SDEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SENIORSERVICES SAYS IT’S BEEN FOUND INMORE THAN 13 WASTEWATER SYSTEMSTHROUGHOUT MISSOURI, THESAMPLING CAN PROVIDE EARLYDETECTION OF AN UPCOMINGOUTBREAK OR EMERGING VARIANCEAND AS FOR POSITIVITY RATES THEKANSAS RATE SITS AT 5.1 PERCENTOF TESTS COMING BACK POSITIVETHE KANSAS RATE HAS STAYED FLATFOR A FEW DAYS IN MISSOURI.6.3% OF TESTS ARE COMING BACKPOSITIVE, WHICH IS THE LOWEST.IT’S BEEN IN MONTHS.THE POSITIVITY RATE HELPS USUNDERSTAND IF A STATE IS DOINGENOUGH TESTS TO FIND INFECTONSTHE KCK FIREFIGHTERS UNION CHIEFSAYS THE FIREFIGHTERS UNION SAYSTHAT CHIEF MICHAEL CALLAHAN METWITH THEM RECENTLY WHILE WAITINGFOR A COVID-19 TEST RESULT ANDTHAT TEST CAME BACK POSITIVE,BUT THE DEPARTMENT DIDN’T TELLTHE UNION KMC HAS MICHEALMAHONEY HAS MORE ON WHAT’S GOINGON.MORE TENSION IN THE KCK FIREDEPARTMENT CHIEF MICHAELCALLAHAN AND THE UNION ARE NOTGETTING ALONG UNION PRESIDENT.JJ SIMA SAYS THAT HE AND OTHERBOARD MEMBERS MET WITH CALLAHANAND OTHER ADMINISTRATORS AROUNDDECEMBER 10TH FOR AGREEMENTHEARING CONFERENCE TABLE SIMILARIN SIZE TO THIS ONE.I THINK ROUGHLY ABOUT EIGHTCHAIRS UNION SAYS THAT DAYCALLAHAN WAS WAITING FOR ACOVID-19 TEST RESULT AND IT CAMEBACK POSITIVE.CITY SAYS THEY FOLLOW CDC ANDLOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTGUIDELINES FOR WORKPLACE SAFETY,INCLUDING EVERYBODY HAVING AMASK ON AT THAT MEETING AND SIXFEET OF SOCIAL DISTANCING.NO.NO, WE DID NOT.YOU’RE SURE THAT WERE YOU THEREI WAS THERE THE KANSASDEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ANDENVIRONMENTS FREQUENTLY ASKEDQUESTIONS ON THE VIRUS STAGE ANYPERSON WHO’S BEING TESTED FORCOVID-19?BECAUSE THEY’RE SUSPECTED OFHAVING THE DISEASE IS REQUIREDTO BE AN ISOLATION UNTIL THETEST RESULTS ARE RECEIVED.CITY SAYS CALLAHAN DID GO INTOISOLATION AFTER THE POSITIVETEST.THE UNION SAYS EVERYBODY AT THATTABLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIEDTHAT CALLAHAN HAD TESTEDPOSITIVE AFTER THAT DAY.YEAH, THEY’RE GOING BACK TOFIREHOUSE NOT TO MENTION.THEY’RE GOING HOME TO THEFAMILIES.THIS IS STATION 4 AND THIS ISTHE LATEST DISPUTE BETWEEN THEFIREFIGHTERS UNION AND THEIRCHIEF MIKE CALLAHAN MICHAELMAHONEY.KMBC9 NEWS SIMIS SAYS NOBODYCAUGHT THE VIRUS AFTER THATMEETING WITH THE CHIEF THE CITYSAYS MORE THAN A QUARTER OF THEDEPARTMENT HAS GOTTEN THE VIRUSSINCE LAST.WE’RE LEARNING MORE ABOUTCORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ONSTUDENT.ATHLETES IT WAS ONCE THOUGHTATHLETES WOULD BE AT GREATERRISK FOR HEART DAMAGE WHILERECOVERING FROM COVID-19 DOCTORSAT SAINT LUKE SAY THERE DOESN’TSTHAT DOESN’T APPEAR TO BE THECASE.THEY SAY STUDENT ATHLETES SHOULDBE CAREFUL AND TAKE PLENTY OFTIME TO RECOVER AFTER A POSITIVEDIAGNOSIS.WE HAVE TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FORSYMPTOMS OF PALPITATIONS ORCHEST PAIN OR UNUSUAL SHORTNESSOF BREATH.AND I THINK ALL ATHLETES WHO ARERECOVERING FROM AN INFECTIONPROBABLY SHOULD BE SEEN ORSHOULD BE SEEN BY THEIR PRIMARYCARE PROVIDER TO MAKE SURE THATALL IS CLEAR SO THAT THEY CANRETURN TO REGULAR ACTIVITY.IS ALSO STRESS THAT ATHLETESSHOULD BE SYMPTOM FREE FOR 10 TO14 DAYS BEFORE CONSIDERING ARETURN TO SPORTS PLATTE COUNTYIS UPDATING ITS HEALTH ORDERRESTAURANTS AND BARS CAN GO BACKTO THEIR NORMAL HOURS.NO LONGER REQUIRED TO CLOSE ATMIDNIGHT.THERE’S NO LIMIT ON A GATHERINGSAS LONG AS PEOPLE WEAR MASKS ANDKEEP THEIR DISTANCE THE HEALTHDEPARTMENT MADE THATRECOMMENDATION BASED ON A DROPIN CASES AND HOSPITALIZATIONSTHE SHAWNEE MISSION SCHOOLDISTRICT WILL PROVIDE A LEARNINGFOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLSTUDENTS TONIGHT.THEY’VE BEEN LEARNING IN AHYBRID MODEL SINCE JANUARY 26THTONIGHT’S PRESENTATION WILLINCLUDE THE MOST RECENT GUIDANCEFROM THE CDC AND THE JOHNSONCOUNTY KANSAS