4 p.m. COVID-19 update

POLICE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING.HERE’S A LOOK NOW AT THECORONAVIRUS IN OUR AREA INKANSAS CASES ARE DOWN 11% OVERTHE PAST TWO WEEKSHOSPITALIZATIONS ARE DOWN 10% INMISSOURI CASES ARE FLATHOSPITALIZATIONS ARE DOWN 12% INKANSAS.32% OF THE POPULATION HAS GOTTENAT LEAST ONE VACCINE DOSE INMISSOURI.IT’S NEARLY 29% AND THAT’SCOMPARED TO THE US AVERAGE OF32.6% WITH AT LEAST ONE DOSE.TODAY’S VACCINATION CLINIC ATTHE DOUGLAS COUNTY FAIRGROUNDSHAD NEARLY 2,000 APPOINTMENTSSTILL OPEN LAST NIGHT.KMBC9’S EMILY HALLWICK WAS ATTHE CLINIC TODAY TO FIND OUT HOWTHE COUNTY WORKED TO FILL THOSESLOTS AND WHAT HAPPENS WITH THELEFTOVER DOSES.AROUND 500 MORE PEOPLE SIGNED UPBY THE TIME THIS CLINIC OPENEDAT THE DOUGLAS COUNTYFAIRGROUNDS, BUT THERE WERESTILL ABOUT 1500 SLOTSAVAILABLE.THAT’S THE FIRST TIME THIS HASHAPPENED SINCE THESE CLINICSSTARTED THE CLINIC ORIGINALLY.BASED ON PHASES THREE AND FOUR,BUT DOUGLAS COUNTY LATER OPENEDTHE WEDNESDAY EVENT TO EVERYONEOVER THE AGE OF 16 IN AN EFFORTTO FILL APPOINTMENTS IN RECENTWEEKS THESE FAIRGROUND CLINICSHAVE GIVEN OUT MORE THAN 4,000SHOTS A DAY GIVING DOUGLASCOUNTY THE HIGHEST VACCINATIONRATE IN KANSAS, BUT IT LOOKEDLIKE HITTING THE 4100 DOSESALLOCATED.WEDNESDAY WAS UNLIKELY HEALTHLEADERS.SAY MORE PEOPLE MAY BE GETTINGVACCINATED AT PHARMACIES AS THEYWAITED.IF APPOINTMENTS WOULD FILL THEYKEPT A CLOSE EYE ON HOW MANYDOSES WERE BEING THAWED.WE REALLY WANT TO WATCH THAT SOWE DON’T END UP WITH IT ALREADYDRAWN AND YOU KNOW SITTING ONTHE TABLE, SO IT’S REALLY APROCESS OF MONITORING ITTHROUGHOUT THE DAY.ONCE WE GET TO THE END OF THEDAY, WE WON’T HAVE THOSE EXTRASAND SO WE DON’T HAVE STUFFTHOUGHT OUT THAT WON’T GET YOUP’DOSE ANY LEFTOVER.IS THAT ARE STILL FROZEN WILL BEUSED AT FUTURE CLINICS INCLUDINGBACK HERE THIS FRIDAY DOUGLASCOUNTY WILL POST ANY UPDATES ONAVAILABILITY ON THEIR SOCIALMEDIA REPORTING IN LAWRENCE.EMILY HALLWICK.KMBC9 NEWS.NOW THE COUNTY DID GIVE OUT ASPECIAL CODE TO REGISTER FORTODAY’S CLINIC ONLINE.THE LAST SLOT IS AT 4:20 PM.EVERY DAY MILLIONS OF AMERICANSARE GETTING ACCESS TOCORONAVIRUS VACCINES, BUT HEALTHEXPERTS ARE STILL BATTLINGVACCINE HESITANCY ONE OF THEBIGGEST BARRIERS IS THAT PEOPLECAN’T GET A SHOT FROM THEIR OWNDOCTOR.THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE WHEN ITCOMES TO BUILDING TRUST AND AVACCINE.WE NEED TO FIND BETTER ANDBETTER WAYS TO GET SHOTS IN THEOFFICES.SO THE DOCS CAN DELIVER THEM INTHAT DOCTOR PATIENT RELATIONSHIPCAN BE USED TO HELP EXPLAIN THEVACCINE AND TO HELP GET PEOPLE ITHINK THAT I THINK REALLYIMPORTANT THE STATE OF KANSASCOULD START SENDING SHOTS TOPRIVATE FACILITIES, BUT THAT ALLHINGES ON VACCINE SUPPLY FRIDAYIS AN IMPORTANT DAY IN THE STATEOF MISSOURI.THAT’S WHEN EVERY PERSON OVERTHE AGE OF 16 WILL BE ELIGIBLETO GET VACCINATED THE GOVERNORANNOUNCED SOME ENCOURAGING NEWSTOO FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCEJULY HOSPITALIZATIONS HAVEDIPPED BELOW 700 PATIENTS.BLUE VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT HELDA VIRTUAL HEARING TODAY ABOUTITS MASK POLICY AND IN-PERSONHEARING WAS CANCELED TUESDAYWHEN ONE OF THE ATTENDEESREFUSED TO WEAR A MASK THISMORNING A BLUE VALLEY PARENTSPOKE TO SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERSABOUT WHY THE MASK MANDATESHOULD END.OUR CHILDREN NEED TO SEE THEFACES OF THEIR PEERS ANDTEACHERS TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.ADDITIONALLY MASKS CREATE ACOMMUNICATION BARRIER AT ISIS.IT IS DIFFICULT TO HEAR ANDUNDERSTAND SOMEONE WHO ISWEARING A MASK.THE SCHOOL BOARD WILL HAVE