TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators suggested Tuesday that mistakes by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration are making it more difficult for older Kansas residents to get COVID-19 vaccine shots.

But Dr. Lee Norman, the head of the state health department and Kelly’s top public health administrator, said the biggest problem Kansas faces in administering the vaccines is “there’s just not enough.” He acknowledged during a joint meeting of the House and Senate health committees that he can’t predict how long it will take for the state to inoculate enough people to say it no longer faces a pandemic emergency.

Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature have grown increasingly critical of Kelly and the state Department of Health and Environment, peppering Norman with pointed questions during Tuesday’s meeting. One GOP lawmaker even argued that Kansas was wrong to focus on vaccinating health care workers first, rather than people 65 and older.

“I’ve never felt like our leadership, the Kelly administration, the KDHE, has learned lessons from this virus and adapted strategies to it,” said freshman Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson Republican and a physician, who didn’t wear a mask at Tuesday’s socially distanced meeting and said he doubts the effectiveness of mask wearing, despite a growing scientific consensus that masks provide protection for others as well as those wearing them.

The Democratic governor and Republican legislators have been sparring for months over the state’s response to the pandemic, but GOP lawmakers have recently focused on what they see as a slow and rocky vaccine distribution.

Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican, said he wants to see the state get to the point where there are enough people who have been vaccinated or had COVID-19 and developed immunity to “getting our economy back in shape.” Norman said those two groups would have to cover at least 85% of the population — close to 2.5 million people, or nearly 10 times the 255,550 vaccine does the state says it has received so far.

“I understand that there are supply chain issues, but I think we need to get the access out to the people as fast as possible,” said Thompson, who declines to wear a mask because, he says, he suffers from asthma.

Norman, who testified by WebEx, said Kansas has received its full allotment of vaccine doses from the federal government but just doesn’t have enough to gives shots as quickly as people want them.

Kelly announced last week that Kansas was entering its second phase of vaccine distribution, where anyone 65 and older, people in group living situations and “critical” workers are eligible for inoculations. Norman said that could be about 800,000 of the state’s 2.9 million residents, or 27%.

“We are ordering everything that is allocated to us, and here in recent weeks we’ve been getting everything we’ve ordered,” Norman said. “But there’s no way on the planet that that’s enough vaccine.”

Republican legislators have cited U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showing Kansas lagging behind other states in vaccination rates.&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank">A CDC report Tuesday&nbsp;</a>showed Kansas ranking 47th for doses administered per 100,000 residents, ahead of only Alabama, Idaho and Nevada.

The state health department reported that nearly 158,000 vaccine doses had been administered as of Monday; the CDC’s figure is slightly higher.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data" target="_blank">Kansas reports</a>&nbsp;that it has administered almost 62% of the vaccine doses it has received so far — something Norman touted as a sign that the administration of inoculations is on track.

However, the CDC said the state actually has received about 348,000 doses, which would put the percentage administered at roughly 45%. State officials said the CDC figures include doses shipped to pharmacies but not received for nursing home workers and residents.

House health committee Chair Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, questioned a state health department policy allowing residents of one county to go to another to get vaccinated, suggesting it sows confusion. Norman defended it, saying it has allowed counties to keep administering shots to health care workers so they weren’t without protections.

Kelly and other state officials have said repeatedly that Kansas is following CDC guidelines in deciding when people are eligible for inoculations. But Steffen argued that Kansas should have put a priority on vaccinating older residents even ahead of health care workers.

About 25% of the people vaccinated have been 65 or older. While that group accounted for about 15% of the state’s more than 269,000 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases through Monday, it had nearly 86% of the state’s 3,622 deaths, with one death for every 13 reported cases.

“If you give it to a bunch of health care workers and you’re just protecting them from flu symptoms, rather than giving it to people who you could save their life, that’s questionable,” Steffen said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611752735957.png" alt="Total doses administered <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations__">reported to the </a>CDC by State per 100,000-CDC image" />
 <figcaption>Total doses administered <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations__">reported to the </a>CDC by State per 100,000-CDC image</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators suggested Tuesday that mistakes by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration are making it more difficult for older Kansas residents to get COVID-19 vaccine shots.(Watch Tuesday's hearing below)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o9XyAclr57w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>But Dr. Lee Norman, the head of the state health department and Kelly’s top public health administrator, said the biggest problem Kansas faces in administering the vaccines is “there’s just not enough.” He acknowledged during a joint meeting of the House and Senate health committees that he can’t predict how long it will take for the state to inoculate enough people to say it no longer faces a pandemic emergency.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611753536468.png" alt="Dr. Lee Norman testified Tuesday by WebEx" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Lee Norman testified Tuesday by WebEx</figcaption>
 </figure>Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature have grown increasingly critical of Kelly and the state Department of Health and Environment, peppering Norman with pointed questions during Tuesday’s meeting. One GOP lawmaker even argued that Kansas was wrong to focus on vaccinating health care workers first, rather than people 65 and older.“I’ve never felt like our leadership, the Kelly administration, the KDHE, has learned lessons from this virus and adapted strategies to it,” said freshman Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson Republican and a physician, who didn’t wear a mask at Tuesday’s socially distanced meeting and said he doubts the effectiveness of mask wearing, despite a growing scientific consensus that masks provide protection for others as well as those wearing them.The Democratic governor and Republican legislators have been sparring for months over the state’s response to the pandemic, but GOP lawmakers have recently focused on what they see as a slow and rocky vaccine distribution.Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican, said he wants to see the state get to the point where there are enough people who have been vaccinated or had COVID-19 and developed immunity to “getting our economy back in shape.” Norman said those two groups would have to cover at least 85% of the population — close to 2.5 million people, or nearly 10 times the 255,550 vaccine does the state says it has received so far.“I understand that there are supply chain issues, but I think we need to get the access out to the people as fast as possible,” said Thompson, who declines to wear a mask because, he says, he suffers from asthma.Norman, who testified by WebEx, said Kansas has received its full allotment of vaccine doses from the federal government but just doesn’t have enough to gives shots as quickly as people want them.Kelly announced last week that Kansas was entering its second phase of vaccine distribution, where anyone 65 and older, people in group living situations and “critical” workers are eligible for inoculations. Norman said that could be about 800,000 of the state’s 2.9 million residents, or 27%.“We are ordering everything that is allocated to us, and here in recent weeks we’ve been getting everything we’ve ordered,” Norman said. “But there’s no way on the planet that that’s enough vaccine.”Republican legislators have cited U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showing Kansas lagging behind other states in vaccination rates.&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank">A CDC report Tuesday&nbsp;</a>showed Kansas ranking 47th for doses administered per 100,000 residents, ahead of only Alabama, Idaho and Nevada.The state health department reported that nearly 158,000 vaccine doses had been administered as of Monday; the CDC’s figure is slightly higher.<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data" target="_blank">Kansas reports</a>&nbsp;that it has administered almost 62% of the vaccine doses it has received so far — something Norman touted as a sign that the administration of inoculations is on track.However, the CDC said the state actually has received about 348,000 doses, which would put the percentage administered at roughly 45%. State officials said the CDC figures include doses shipped to pharmacies but not received for nursing home workers and residents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611753419734.png" alt="Rep. Brenda Landwher during Tuesday's hearing" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Brenda Landwher during Tuesday's hearing</figcaption>
 </figure>House health committee Chair Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, questioned a state health department policy allowing residents of one county to go to another to get vaccinated, suggesting it sows confusion. Norman defended it, saying it has allowed counties to keep administering shots to health care workers so they weren’t without protections.Kelly and other state officials have said repeatedly that Kansas is following CDC guidelines in deciding when people are eligible for inoculations. But Steffen argued that Kansas should have put a priority on vaccinating older residents even ahead of health care workers.About 25% of the people vaccinated have been 65 or older. While that group accounted for about 15% of the state’s more than 269,000 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases through Monday, it had nearly 86% of the state’s 3,622 deaths, with one death for every 13 reported cases.“If you give it to a bunch of health care workers and you’re just protecting them from flu symptoms, rather than giving it to people who you could save their life, that’s questionable,” Steffen said.___

🎥  Kan. lawmakers push for answers on COVID-19, vaccine reporting

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 447 as of Tuesday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 114.

The Correctional Facility cluster type has 27 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.

Out of 7,417 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 425 cases in the community at large. 6,856 people have recovered thus far.

Ten Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred forty-one total have been hospitalized. One hundred have been admitted to the ICU. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized. Intubation numbers are no longer on the county's dashboard.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.36%. 36.46% of the population has been tested.

There are still two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 447 as of Tuesday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 114.The Correctional Facility cluster type has 27 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,417 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 425 cases in the community at large. 6,856 people have recovered thus far.Ten Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred forty-one total have been hospitalized. One hundred have been admitted to the ICU. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized. Intubation numbers are no longer on the county's dashboard.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.36%. 36.46% of the population has been tested.There are still two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Case count at 447, with 425 in community and 114 dead as of Tuesday afternoon

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that county allocation data is now available on Kansas’ COVID-19 <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">vaccine dashboard.</a> A collaboration with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the COVID-19 dashboard will be updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 12:30 PM.

“I am pleased to announce county-specific allocation data is now available on our <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">vaccine dashboard,</a>” said Governor Laura Kelly. “My administration is prioritizing transparency and communication with public health officials and Kansans to deliver vaccines quickly and efficiently. As we progress through Phase 2 of our vaccination framework, I encourage Kansans to visit KansasVaccine.Gov or contact their local public health departments to learn more about signing up for the vaccine.”

As of January 25, Kansas has reported 132,145, people vaccinated, 157,520 total vaccine doses administered and 255, 550 vaccine doses distributed.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here </a>to view the vaccine data

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that county allocation data is now available on Kansas’ COVID-19 <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">vaccine dashboard.</a> A collaboration with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the COVID-19 dashboard will be updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 12:30 PM.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My administration has prioritized transparency and communication with public health officials and Kansans to deliver vaccines quickly and efficiently. To further this effort, you may now view county-specific allocation data on our vaccine dashboard. <a href="https://t.co/HwbkZ5fQj9">https://t.co/HwbkZ5fQj9</a>&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1354124014311116800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I am pleased to announce county-specific allocation data is now available on our <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">vaccine dashboard,</a>” said Governor Laura Kelly. “My administration is prioritizing transparency and communication with public health officials and Kansans to deliver vaccines quickly and efficiently. As we progress through Phase 2 of our vaccination framework, I encourage Kansans to visit KansasVaccine.Gov or contact their local public health departments to learn more about signing up for the vaccine.”As of January 25, Kansas has reported 132,145, people vaccinated, 157,520 total vaccine doses administered and 255, 550 vaccine doses distributed.<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here </a>to view the vaccine data

Vaccine data for your county available on Kansas website


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
PrairieStar received their first 100 doses of the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine for Phase 2 patients late last week.  This is the 65+ age group that is to be vaccinated according to guidelines.  All available doses were given to patients on Monday January 25th at PrairieStar.

It is important that patients work through their Primary Care Provider when possible. The Primary Care Provider has the patient’s medical history and will ensure appropriate documentation and coordination of both doses of the vaccine. Vaccine supplies are extremely limited and PrairieStar is not in control of when and how many vaccines they will receive.

As PrairieStar recieves more doses they will call patients to set up a vaccination appointment. Do not call PrairieStar as their call center does not know when or how much vaccine will be available.

PrairieStar will call patients once they receive more vaccine.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586803833983.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
PrairieStar received their first 100 doses of the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine for Phase 2 patients late last week. This is the 65+ age group that is to be vaccinated according to guidelines. All available doses were given to patients on Monday January 25th at PrairieStar.It is important that patients work through their Primary Care Provider when possible. The Primary Care Provider has the patient’s medical history and will ensure appropriate documentation and coordination of both doses of the vaccine. Vaccine supplies are extremely limited and PrairieStar is not in control of when and how many vaccines they will receive.As PrairieStar recieves more doses they will call patients to set up a vaccination appointment. Do not call PrairieStar as their call center does not know when or how much vaccine will be available.PrairieStar will call patients once they receive more vaccine.

PrairieStar begins Phase 2 vaccinations; they will call patients to set up appointments


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The Reno County Health Department plans on holding a vaccination clinic Friday for seniors who have not been vaccinated.

"We'll have a <a href="https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/01998f35f69046e0afb508d6da1ffad3">link on our website that will open that up to pre-register</a>," said Karen Hammersmith with the Health Department. "Then, we will have staff that goes ahead and stratifies those that are identified as being high risk in those 65 and older so that we get to those being stratified quickly."

Data analyst DJ Gering explains what criteria are being used to decide what order to give the shots in.

"It's based off of the<a href="https://covid19risktools.com:8443/riskcalculator"> Johns Hopkins COVID-19 risk calculator</a>," Gering said. "It's a mortality risk calculation tool that they have posted online. It takes into account a person's age, their underlying medical conditions, what CDC calls a socially vulnerable population."

<a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/at-a-glance_svi.html">CDC Social Vulnerability Index</a> (CDC SVI) uses 15 U.S. census variables to help local officials identify communities that may need support before, during, or after disasters.

"That Social Vulnerability Index looks at poverty, lack of access to transportation, crowded housing and other variables that prevent public health or emergency management from preventing human suffering and financial loss during a disaster, such as a pandemic," Gering said.

The vaccination clinic on Friday will be a day long event.

"That will be at the Sports Arena on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.," Hammersmith said. "We will go ahead and vaccinate 700 people there. We are working in a collaboration with that."

All entries will be stratified through the risk calculator, rather than using pure demographic data to distribute.

"I think the general consensus with our medical collaborative was, it's better to distribute that vaccine among highest risk individuals, rather than stratifying by age group alone," Gering said. "Some other counties are doing their 80 plus population and the 75 to 79 population and they're stratifying down by age group, but we wanted to calculate it by risk."

If you don't have a computer or don't know how to use one, you can call the Health Department at 844-834-3657 or 620-259-3547 to be put on the list, but with just 700 doses to be distributed, there will be more demand than they have supply for.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608739574842.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — The Reno County Health Department plans on holding a vaccination clinic Friday for seniors who have not been vaccinated."We'll have a <a href="https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/01998f35f69046e0afb508d6da1ffad3">link on our website that will open that up to pre-register</a>," said Karen Hammersmith with the Health Department. "Then, we will have staff that goes ahead and stratifies those that are identified as being high risk in those 65 and older so that we get to those being stratified quickly."Data analyst DJ Gering explains what criteria are being used to decide what order to give the shots in."It's based off of the<a href="https://covid19risktools.com:8443/riskcalculator"> Johns Hopkins COVID-19 risk calculator</a>," Gering said. "It's a mortality risk calculation tool that they have posted online. It takes into account a person's age, their underlying medical conditions, what CDC calls a socially vulnerable population."<a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/at-a-glance_svi.html">CDC Social Vulnerability Index</a> (CDC SVI) uses 15 U.S. census variables to help local officials identify communities that may need support before, during, or after disasters."That Social Vulnerability Index looks at poverty, lack of access to transportation, crowded housing and other variables that prevent public health or emergency management from preventing human suffering and financial loss during a disaster, such as a pandemic," Gering said.The vaccination clinic on Friday will be a day long event."That will be at the Sports Arena on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.," Hammersmith said. "We will go ahead and vaccinate 700 people there. We are working in a collaboration with that."All entries will be stratified through the risk calculator, rather than using pure demographic data to distribute."I think the general consensus with our medical collaborative was, it's better to distribute that vaccine among highest risk individuals, rather than stratifying by age group alone," Gering said. "Some other counties are doing their 80 plus population and the 75 to 79 population and they're stratifying down by age group, but we wanted to calculate it by risk."If you don't have a computer or don't know how to use one, you can call the Health Department at 844-834-3657 or 620-259-3547 to be put on the list, but with just 700 doses to be distributed, there will be more demand than they have supply for.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the HutchPost mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily HutchPost email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Vaccination clinic for seniors Friday, around 700 shots available

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 444 as of Monday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.

The Correctional Facility cluster type has 32 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.

Out of 7,390 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 420 cases in the community at large. 6,835 people have recovered thus far.

Ten Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred forty-one total have been hospitalized. One hundred have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.41%. 36.28% of the population has been tested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 444 as of Monday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.The Correctional Facility cluster type has 32 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,390 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 420 cases in the community at large. 6,835 people have recovered thus far.Ten Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred forty-one total have been hospitalized. One hundred have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.41%. 36.28% of the population has been tested.There are still two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Case count at 444, with 420 in community as of Monday afternoon, deaths stay at 111

WASHINGTON (AP) —Public health experts blamed COVID-19 vaccine shortages around the U.S. in part on the Trump administration’s push to get states to vastly expand their vaccination drives to reach the nation’s estimated 54 million people age 65 and over.

The push that began over a week ago has not been accompanied by enough doses to meet demand, according to state and local officials, leading to frustration and confusion and limiting states’ ability to attack the outbreak that has killed over 400,000 Americans.

Over the past few days, authorities in California, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida and Hawaii warned that their supplies were running out. New York City began canceling or postponing shots or stopped making new appointments because of the shortages, which President Joe Biden has vowed to turn around. Florida’s top health official said the state would deal with the scarcity by restricting vaccines to state residents.

The vaccine rollout so far has been “a major disappointment,” said Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.

Problems started with the Trump administration’s “fatal mistake” of not ordering enough vaccine, which was then snapped up by other countries, Topol said. Then, opening the line to senior citizens set people up for disappointment because there wasn’t enough vaccine, he said. The Trump administration also left crucial planning to the states and didn’t provide the necessary funding.

“It doesn’t happen by fairy dust,” Topol said. “You need to put funds into that.”

Last week, before Biden took over as president, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department suggested that the frustration was the result of unrealistic expectations among the states as to how much vaccine was on the way.

But some public health experts said that the states have not been getting reliable information on vaccine deliveries and that the amounts they have been sent have been unpredictable. That, in turn, has made it difficult for them to plan how to inoculate people.

“It’s a bit of having to build it as we go,” said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s a front-end supply issue, and unless we know how much vaccine is flowing down the pipe, it’s hard to get these things sized right, staffed, get people there, get them vaccinated and get them gone.”

State health secretaries have asked the Biden administration for earlier and more reliable predictions on vaccine deliveries, said Washington state Health Secretary Dr. Umair Shah.

Dr. Marcus Plescia of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials was also among those who said opening vaccinations to senior citizens was done too soon, before supply could catch up.

“We needed steady federal leadership on this early in the launch,” Plescia said. “That did not happen, and now that we are not prioritizing groups, there is going to be some lag for supply to catch up with demand.”

Supply will pick up over the next few weeks, he said. Deliveries go out to the states every week, and the government and drugmakers have given assurances large quantities are in the pipeline.

The rollout has proceeded at a disappointing pace. The U.S. government has delivered nearly 38 million doses of vaccine to the states, and about 17.5 million of those have been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 2.4 million people have received the necessary two doses, by the CDC’s count — well short of the hundreds of millions who will have to be inoculated to vanquish the outbreak.

Biden, in one of his first orders of business, signed 10 executive orders to combat the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, including one broadening the use of the Defense Production Act to expand vaccine production. The 1950 Korean War-era law enables the government to direct the manufacture of critical goods.

He also mandated masks for travel, including in airports and on planes, ships, trains, buses and public transportation, and ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up vaccination centers and the CDC to make vaccines available through pharmacies starting next month.

Biden has vowed to dispense 100 million shots in his first 100 days.

“We’ll move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated for free,” he said.

Florida was one of the first states to open vaccine eligibility to members of the general public over 65. Now uncertainty over the vaccine supply has prompted the state surgeon general, Scott Rivkees, to advise counties to prioritize available doses for state residents, including so-called snowbirds who live there part-time. People seeking vaccination will have to provide a driver’s license or other document, such as rental leases and utility bills.

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have been pleading for more doses. Appointments through Sunday for the first dose of the vaccine at 15 community vaccination hubs set up by the city health department were postponed to next week.

Vaccinations in New York haven’t stopped, but demand for the shots now far exceeds the number of doses available, the mayor said.

“It’s just tremendously sad that we have so many people who want the vaccine and so much ability to give the vaccine, what’s happening?” de Blasio said. “For lack of supply, we’re actually having to cancel appointments.”

Rosa Schneider had jumped at the chance to make a vaccination appointment once she heard that educators like her were eligible in New York. A high school English teacher who lives in New York City but works in New Jersey, she said that a day before she was to be vaccinated on Wednesday at a city-run hospital, she got a call saying the supply had run out and the appointment was canceled.

“I was concerned, and I was upset,” said Schneider, 32, but she is trying daily to book another appointment. She is hopeful availability will improve in the coming weeks.

WASHINGTON (AP) —Public health experts blamed COVID-19 vaccine shortages around the U.S. in part on the Trump administration’s push to get states to vastly expand their vaccination drives to reach the nation’s estimated 54 million people age 65 and over.The push that began over a week ago has not been accompanied by enough doses to meet demand, according to state and local officials, leading to frustration and confusion and limiting states’ ability to attack the outbreak that has killed over 400,000 Americans.Over the past few days, authorities in California, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida and Hawaii warned that their supplies were running out. New York City began canceling or postponing shots or stopped making new appointments because of the shortages, which President Joe Biden has vowed to turn around. Florida’s top health official said the state would deal with the scarcity by restricting vaccines to state residents.The vaccine rollout so far has been “a major disappointment,” said Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.Problems started with the Trump administration’s “fatal mistake” of not ordering enough vaccine, which was then snapped up by other countries, Topol said. Then, opening the line to senior citizens set people up for disappointment because there wasn’t enough vaccine, he said. The Trump administration also left crucial planning to the states and didn’t provide the necessary funding.“It doesn’t happen by fairy dust,” Topol said. “You need to put funds into that.”Last week, before Biden took over as president, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department suggested that the frustration was the result of unrealistic expectations among the states as to how much vaccine was on the way.But some public health experts said that the states have not been getting reliable information on vaccine deliveries and that the amounts they have been sent have been unpredictable. That, in turn, has made it difficult for them to plan how to inoculate people.“It’s a bit of having to build it as we go,” said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s a front-end supply issue, and unless we know how much vaccine is flowing down the pipe, it’s hard to get these things sized right, staffed, get people there, get them vaccinated and get them gone.”State health secretaries have asked the Biden administration for earlier and more reliable predictions on vaccine deliveries, said Washington state Health Secretary Dr. Umair Shah.Dr. Marcus Plescia of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials was also among those who said opening vaccinations to senior citizens was done too soon, before supply could catch up.“We needed steady federal leadership on this early in the launch,” Plescia said. “That did not happen, and now that we are not prioritizing groups, there is going to be some lag for supply to catch up with demand.”Supply will pick up over the next few weeks, he said. Deliveries go out to the states every week, and the government and drugmakers have given assurances large quantities are in the pipeline.The rollout has proceeded at a disappointing pace. The U.S. government has delivered nearly 38 million doses of vaccine to the states, and about 17.5 million of those have been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About 2.4 million people have received the necessary two doses, by the CDC’s count — well short of the hundreds of millions who will have to be inoculated to vanquish the outbreak.Biden, in one of his first orders of business, signed 10 executive orders to combat the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, including one broadening the use of the Defense Production Act to expand vaccine production. The 1950 Korean War-era law enables the government to direct the manufacture of critical goods.He also mandated masks for travel, including in airports and on planes, ships, trains, buses and public transportation, and ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up vaccination centers and the CDC to make vaccines available through pharmacies starting next month.Biden has vowed to dispense 100 million shots in his first 100 days.“We’ll move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated for free,” he said.Florida was one of the first states to open vaccine eligibility to members of the general public over 65. Now uncertainty over the vaccine supply has prompted the state surgeon general, Scott Rivkees, to advise counties to prioritize available doses for state residents, including so-called snowbirds who live there part-time. People seeking vaccination will have to provide a driver’s license or other document, such as rental leases and utility bills.In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have been pleading for more doses. Appointments through Sunday for the first dose of the vaccine at 15 community vaccination hubs set up by the city health department were postponed to next week.Vaccinations in New York haven’t stopped, but demand for the shots now far exceeds the number of doses available, the mayor said.“It’s just tremendously sad that we have so many people who want the vaccine and so much ability to give the vaccine, what’s happening?” de Blasio said. “For lack of supply, we’re actually having to cancel appointments.”Rosa Schneider had jumped at the chance to make a vaccination appointment once she heard that educators like her were eligible in New York. A high school English teacher who lives in New York City but works in New Jersey, she said that a day before she was to be vaccinated on Wednesday at a city-run hospital, she got a call saying the supply had run out and the appointment was canceled.“I was concerned, and I was upset,” said Schneider, 32, but she is trying daily to book another appointment. She is hopeful availability will improve in the coming weeks.

Health experts blame rapid expansion for vaccine shortages

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 459 as of Sunday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.

Out of 7,356 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 435 cases in the community at large. 6,786 people have recovered thus far.

Ten Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred forty-one total have been hospitalized. Ninety-nine have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.34%. 36.19% of the population has been tested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 459 as of Sunday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.The Correctional Facility cluster type has 32 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,356 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 435 cases in the community at large. 6,786 people have recovered thus far.Ten Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred forty-one total have been hospitalized. Ninety-nine have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.34%. 36.19% of the population has been tested.There are still two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Case count at 459, with 435 in community as of Sunday evening, deaths stay at 111


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Karen Hammersmith with the Reno County Health Department knows that the 500 shots the county received this week isn't nearly enough for the people who need the COVID-19 vaccination, let alone those who want it.

"We're just working on a supply and demand," Hammersmith said. "You know, we're hoping then we can expect to see another 500 doses next Wednesday, because we received it this Wednesday. That is our hope and our goal, but once again, that's just another 500 doses."

We're still early enough in the process that those who are at the top of the list will get calls from their medical provider to get the vaccination.

"Once we do get a sufficient supply in, as manufacturers catch up and they give us a little bit more, we would look to go to an open pod setting at the Sports Arena and really kind of open that up and have online registration for that," Hammersmith said.

However, according to the numbers released by the county, just vaccinating the phase two groups will almost certainly take months, if supplies stay constant. Assuming that there is no crossover, there are over 20,000 people just in the phase two groups <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/cb748e64-ecce-4133-8958-e7242c055695">listed by the county in their release</a>. The COVID-19 vaccine is a two shot series, so 500 shots really only fully vaccinates 250 people. 20,000 divided by 250 is 80. No one expects the vaccination to actually take 80 more weeks, but to pretend that the end is around the corner would be a false assumption.

"Continue to do all the things that we've been saying," Hammersmith said. "Wear a mask, social distance, keep in those small cohorts and stay at home if you are feeling ill."

Obviously, there will be some individuals that qualify in more than one group, so the numbers are likely a little lower than that, not to mention those who would refuse the vaccination for whatever reason, but even if you sign up for the online tool when it becomes available, it will likely be a lengthy period before a public vaccination clinic would happen.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604716965620.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Karen Hammersmith with the Reno County Health Department knows that the 500 shots the county received this week isn't nearly enough for the people who need the COVID-19 vaccination, let alone those who want it."We're just working on a supply and demand," Hammersmith said. "You know, we're hoping then we can expect to see another 500 doses next Wednesday, because we received it this Wednesday. That is our hope and our goal, but once again, that's just another 500 doses."We're still early enough in the process that those who are at the top of the list will get calls from their medical provider to get the vaccination."Once we do get a sufficient supply in, as manufacturers catch up and they give us a little bit more, we would look to go to an open pod setting at the Sports Arena and really kind of open that up and have online registration for that," Hammersmith said.However, according to the numbers released by the county, just vaccinating the phase two groups will almost certainly take months, if supplies stay constant. Assuming that there is no crossover, there are over 20,000 people just in the phase two groups <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/cb748e64-ecce-4133-8958-e7242c055695">listed by the county in their release</a>. The COVID-19 vaccine is a two shot series, so 500 shots really only fully vaccinates 250 people. 20,000 divided by 250 is 80. No one expects the vaccination to actually take 80 more weeks, but to pretend that the end is around the corner would be a false assumption. "Continue to do all the things that we've been saying," Hammersmith said. "Wear a mask, social distance, keep in those small cohorts and stay at home if you are feeling ill."Obviously, there will be some individuals that qualify in more than one group, so the numbers are likely a little lower than that, not to mention those who would refuse the vaccination for whatever reason, but even if you sign up for the online tool when it becomes available, it will likely be a lengthy period before a public vaccination clinic would happen.

Hammersmith: COVID-19 vaccine supply very limited

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 456 as of Friday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.

Out of 7,325 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 432 cases in the community at large. 6,758 people have recovered thus far.

Fifteen Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred thirty-nine total have been hospitalized. Ninety-seven have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.31%. 36.06% of the population has been tested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 456 as of Friday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.The Correctional Facility cluster type has 27 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,325 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 432 cases in the community at large. 6,758 people have recovered thus far.Fifteen Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred thirty-nine total have been hospitalized. Ninety-seven have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.31%. 36.06% of the population has been tested.There are still two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Case count at 456, with 432 in community as of Friday afternoon, deaths remain at 111

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 458 as of Thursday morning. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.

Out of 7,294 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 437 cases in the community at large. 6,725 people have recovered thus far.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.31%. 35.92% of the population has been tested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 458 as of Thursday morning. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.The Correctional Facility cluster type has 27 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,294 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 437 cases in the community at large. 6,725 people have recovered thus far.Fifteen Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred thirty-nine total have been hospitalized. Ninety-seven have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.31%. 35.92% of the population has been tested.There are still two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Case count at 458, with 437 in community as of Thursday afternoon, deaths still at 111

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 454 as of Wednesday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.

The Correctional Facility cluster type has 20 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.

Out of 7,262 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 438 cases in the community at large. 6,698 people have recovered thus far.

Fifteen Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, 339 total have been hospitalized. Ninety-seven have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.31%. 35.76% of the population has been tested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 454 as of Wednesday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.The Correctional Facility cluster type has 20 active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,262 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 438 cases in the community at large. 6,698 people have recovered thus far.Fifteen Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, 339 total have been hospitalized. Ninety-seven have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.31%. 35.76% of the population has been tested.There are still two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Case count at 454, with 438 in community as of Wednesday afternoon

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 461 as of Tuesday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.

The Correctional Facility cluster type has seventeen active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.

Out of 7,226 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 452 cases in the community at large. 6,654 people have recovered thus far.

Eighteen Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred thirty-six total have been hospitalized. Ninety-seven have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.25%. 35.64% of the population has been tested.

There are now two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 461 as of Tuesday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.The Correctional Facility cluster type has seventeen active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,226 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 452 cases in the community at large. 6,654 people have recovered thus far.Eighteen Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred thirty-six total have been hospitalized. Ninety-seven have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.25%. 35.64% of the population has been tested.There are now two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Case count at 461, with 452 in community as of Tuesday afternoon

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 458 as of Monday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.

Out of 7,188 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 449 cases in the community at large. 6,619 people have recovered thus far.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.22%. 35.49% of the population has been tested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 458 as of Monday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.The Correctional Facility cluster type has seventeen active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,188 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 449 cases in the community at large. 6,619 people have recovered thus far.Eighteen Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred thirty-six total have been hospitalized. Ninety-seven have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.22%. 35.49% of the population has been tested.There are now two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Case count at 458, with 449 as of Monday afternoon

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s state epidemiologist is urging a halt to more than 300,000 coronavirus vaccinations using a Moderna vaccine version because some people received medical treatment for possible severe allergic reactions.

Dr. Erica S. Pan on Sunday recommended providers stop using lot 41L20A of the Moderna vaccine pending completion of an investigation by state officials, Moderna, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the federal Food and Drug Administration.

“Out of an extreme abundance of caution and also recognizing the extremely limited supply of vaccine, we are recommending that providers use other available vaccine inventory,” Pan said in a statement.

She said more than 330,000 doses from the lot arrived in California between Jan. 5 and Jan. 12 and were distributed to 287 providers.

Fewer than 10 people, who all received the vaccine at the same community site, needed medical attention over a 24-hour period, Pan said. No other similar clusters were found.

Pan did not specify the number of cases involved or where they occurred.

However, six San Diego health care workers had allergic reactions to vaccines they received at a mass vaccination center on Jan. 14. The site was temporarily closed and is now using other vaccines, KTGV-TV reported.

Moderna in a statement said the company “is unaware of comparable adverse events from other vaccination centers which may have administered vaccines from the same lot.”

The CDC has said COVID-19 vaccines can cause side effects for a few days that include fever, chills, headache, swelling or tiredness, “which are normal signs that your body is building protection.”

However, severe reactions are extremely rare. Pan said in a vaccine similar to Moderna, the rate of anaphylaxis — in which an immune system reaction can block breathing and cause blood pressure to drop — was about 1 in 100,000.

The announcement came as California counties continue to plead for more COVID-19 vaccine as the state tries to reduce its rate of infection, which has led to record numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.

California, with a population of 40 million, has shipped about about 3.2 million doses of the vaccine — which requires two doses for full immunization — to local health departments and health care systems, the state’s Department of Public Health reported Monday.

Only about 1.4 million of those doses, or around 40%, have been administered.

So far. the state has vaccinated fewer than 2,500 people per 100,000 residents, a rate that falls well below the national average, according to federal data.

Although Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that anyone age 65 and older would be eligible to start receiving the vaccine, Los Angeles County and some others have said they do not have enough doses to vaccinate so many people and are first concentrating on inoculating health care workers and the most vulnerable elderly living in care homes.

On Monday, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District sent a letter to state and county public health officials asking for authorization to provide COVID-19 vaccinations at schools for staff, local community members and for students once a vaccine for children has been approved.

“Doing so will help reopen schools as soon as possible, and in the safest way possible,” Superintendent Austin Beutner wrote.

California is nearing 3 million coronavirus cases and more than 33,600 people have died since the start of the pandemic last year, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

The death rate from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County — the nation’s most populous and an epicenter of the state pandemic — works out to about one person every six minutes.

On Sunday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District suspended some pollution-control limits on the number of cremations for at least 10 days in order to deal with a backlog of bodies at hospitals and funeral homes.

“The current rate of death is more than double that of pre-pandemic years,” the agency said.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s state epidemiologist is urging a halt to more than 300,000 coronavirus vaccinations using a Moderna vaccine version because some people received medical treatment for possible severe allergic reactions.Dr. Erica S. Pan on Sunday recommended providers stop using lot 41L20A of the Moderna vaccine pending completion of an investigation by state officials, Moderna, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the federal Food and Drug Administration.“Out of an extreme abundance of caution and also recognizing the extremely limited supply of vaccine, we are recommending that providers use other available vaccine inventory,” Pan said in a statement.She said more than 330,000 doses from the lot arrived in California between Jan. 5 and Jan. 12 and were distributed to 287 providers.Fewer than 10 people, who all received the vaccine at the same community site, needed medical attention over a 24-hour period, Pan said. No other similar clusters were found.Pan did not specify the number of cases involved or where they occurred.However, six San Diego health care workers had allergic reactions to vaccines they received at a mass vaccination center on Jan. 14. The site was temporarily closed and is now using other vaccines, KTGV-TV reported.Moderna in a statement said the company “is unaware of comparable adverse events from other vaccination centers which may have administered vaccines from the same lot.”The CDC has said COVID-19 vaccines can cause side effects for a few days that include fever, chills, headache, swelling or tiredness, “which are normal signs that your body is building protection.”However, severe reactions are extremely rare. Pan said in a vaccine similar to Moderna, the rate of anaphylaxis — in which an immune system reaction can block breathing and cause blood pressure to drop — was about 1 in 100,000.The announcement came as California counties continue to plead for more COVID-19 vaccine as the state tries to reduce its rate of infection, which has led to record numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.California, with a population of 40 million, has shipped about about 3.2 million doses of the vaccine — which requires two doses for full immunization — to local health departments and health care systems, the state’s Department of Public Health reported Monday.Only about 1.4 million of those doses, or around 40%, have been administered.So far. the state has vaccinated fewer than 2,500 people per 100,000 residents, a rate that falls well below the national average, according to federal data.Although Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that anyone age 65 and older would be eligible to start receiving the vaccine, Los Angeles County and some others have said they do not have enough doses to vaccinate so many people and are first concentrating on inoculating health care workers and the most vulnerable elderly living in care homes.On Monday, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District sent a letter to state and county public health officials asking for authorization to provide COVID-19 vaccinations at schools for staff, local community members and for students once a vaccine for children has been approved.“Doing so will help reopen schools as soon as possible, and in the safest way possible,” Superintendent Austin Beutner wrote.California is nearing 3 million coronavirus cases and more than 33,600 people have died since the start of the pandemic last year, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.The death rate from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County — the nation’s most populous and an epicenter of the state pandemic — works out to about one person every six minutes.On Sunday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District suspended some pollution-control limits on the number of cremations for at least 10 days in order to deal with a backlog of bodies at hospitals and funeral homes.“The current rate of death is more than double that of pre-pandemic years,” the agency said.

Health official urges stop to 300K vaccines after some fall ill

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 462 as of Sunday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.

The Correctional Facility cluster type has sixteen active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.

Out of 7,155 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 452 cases in the community at large. 6,582 people have recovered thus far.

Fourteen Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred thirty-two total have been hospitalized. Ninety-seven have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.

The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.17%. 35.38% of the population has been tested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595202434504.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County overall case count is at 462 as of Sunday afternoon. The death count among Reno County residents is at 111.The Correctional Facility cluster type has sixteen active cases measured by the county's COVID-19 dashboard. The Long Term Care Facility cluster type has 72 active cases. Forty-four people within those clusters have died. There are 40 active clusters in the county.Out of 7,155 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, there are 452 cases in the community at large. 6,582 people have recovered thus far.Fourteen Reno County residents are in the hospital. According to the dashboard, three hundred thirty-two total have been hospitalized. Ninety-seven have been admitted to the ICU and 31 have been intubated. These are Reno County resident numbers regardless of where they are hospitalized.The community's positive test rate is at 27.24%, with the overall positive test rate at 32.17%. 35.38% of the population has been tested.There are now two free public testing sites, one in the Cosmosphere parking lot in Hutchinson and one at Simply Good Overstocks parking lot in South Hutchinson. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Case count at 462, with 452 in community as of Sunday afternoon

By JULIE APPLEBY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-14/private-practice-doctors-patients-wonder-when-its-their-turn-for-the-covid-19-vaccine">Kaiser Health News</a>

Dr. Andrew Carroll — a family doctor in Chandler, Arizona — wants to 
help his patients get immunized against covid, so he paid more than 
$4,000 to buy an ultra-low-temperature freezer from eBay needed to store
 the Pfizer vaccine.

But he’s not sure he’ll get a chance to use 
it, given health officials have so far not said when private doctor’s 
offices will get vaccine.

Not
 only are doctors having trouble getting vaccine for patients, but many 
of the community-based physicians and medical staff that aren’t employed
 by hospitals or health systems also report mixed results in getting 
inoculated. Some have had their shots, yet others are still waiting, 
even though health workers providing direct care to patients are in the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s top-priority group.

Many
 of these doctors say they don’t know when — or if — they will get doses
 for their patients, which will soon become a bigger issue as states 
attempt to vaccinate more people.

“The reason that’s important is 
patients trust their doctors when it comes to the vaccine,” said 
Carroll, who has complained on social media that his county hasn’t yet 
released plans on how primary care doctors will be brought into the 
loop.

Collectively, physicians in the county could vaccinate 
thousands of patients a day, he said, and might draw some who would 
otherwise be hesitant if they had to go to a large hospital, a 
fairground or another central site.

His concern comes as, 
nationally, the rollout of the vaccine is off to a slower start than 
expected, lagging far behind the initial goal of giving 20 million doses
 before the new year.

But Dr. Jen Brull, a family practice doctor 
in Plainville, Kansas, said her rural area has made good progress on the
 first phase of vaccinations, crediting close working relationships 
formed well before the pandemic.

This fall, before any doses 
became available, the local hospital, the health department and 
physician offices coordinated a sign-up list for medical workers who 
wanted the vaccine. So, when their county, with a population of 5,000, 
got its first 70 doses, they were ready to go. Another 80 doses came a 
week later.

“We’ll be able to vaccinate almost all the health care-associated folks who wanted it in the county” Brull said recently

Dr.
 Jason Goldman, an internist in Coral Springs, Florida, said he was able
 to get vaccinated at a local hospital that received the bulk of 
vaccines in his county and oversaw distribution.

In the weeks since, however, he said several of his front-line staff members still “don’t have access to the vaccine.”

Additionally,
 “a tremendous number” of patients are calling his office because 
Florida has relaxed distribution guidelines to include anyone over age 
65, Goldman said, asking when they can get the vaccine. He’s applied to 
officials about distributing the vaccines through his practice but has 
heard nothing back.

Patients “are frustrated that they do not have
 clear answers and that I am not being given clear answers to provide 
them,” he said. “We have no choice but to direct them to the health 
department and some of the hospital systems.”

Another troubling 
point for Goldman, who served as a liaison between the American College 
of Physicians and the expert panel drawing up the CDC distribution 
guidelines, is the tremendous variation in how those recommendations are
 being implemented in the states.

The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations-process.html" target="_blank">recommends</a>
 several phases, with front-line health care workers and nursing home 
residents and staff in the initial group. Then, in the second part of 
that phase, come people over 75 and non-health care front-line workers, 
which could include first responders, teachers and other designated 
essential workers.

States have the flexibility to design their own
 rollout schedule and priority groups. Florida, for example, is offering
 doses to anyone 65 and up. In some counties, older folks were told 
vaccines were available on a first-come, first-served basis, a move that
 has resulted in long lines.

“To say right now, 65-plus, when you 
haven’t even appropriately vaccinated all the health care workers, is 
negating the phasing,” said Goldman. “There needs to be a national 
standard. We have those guidelines. We need to come up with some 
oversight.”

On Thursday, the American Hospital Association echoed 
that concern in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex 
Azar. Hospitals — along with health departments and large pharmacy 
chains — are doing the bulk of the vaccinations.

Calling for additional coordination by federal officials, the <a href="https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2021/01/aha-hhs-leadership-actions-needed-expedite-administration-covid-19-vaccines-lettetr-1-7-20.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a>
 outlined what it would take to reach the goal of vaccinating 75% of 
Americans by the end of May: 1.8 million vaccinations every day. Noting 
there are 64 different rollout plans from states, cities and other 
jurisdictions, the letter asked whether HHS has “assessed whether these 
plans, taken as a whole, are capable of achieving this level of 
vaccination?”

Lack of direct national 
support or strategy means each county is essentially on its own, with 
success or failure affected by available resources and the experience of
 local officials. Most state and local health departments are 
underfunded and are under intense pressure because of the surging 
pandemic.

Still, the success of vaccination efforts depends on planning, preparation and clear communication.

In
 Lorain County, Ohio, population 310,000, local officials started 
practicing in October, said Mark Adams, deputy health commissioner. They
 set up mass vaccination clinics for influenza to study what would be 
needed for a covid vaccination effort. How many staff? What would the 
traffic flow be like? Could patients be kept 6 feet apart?

“That 
gave us an idea of what is good, what is bad and what needs to change,” 
said Adams, who has had previous experience coordinating mass 
vaccination efforts at a county level.

So, when the county got its
 first shipment of 500 doses Dec. 21, Adams had his plan ready. He 
called the fire chiefs to invite all emergency medical technicians and 
affiliated personnel to an ad hoc vaccination center set up at a large 
entertainment venue staffed by his health department. Upon arrival, 
people were greeted at the door and directed to spaced-apart “lanes” 
where they would get their shots, then to a monitoring area where they 
could wait for 15 minutes to make sure they didn’t have a reaction.

Right
 after Christmas, another 400 doses arrived — and the makeshift clinic 
opened again. This time, doses went to community-based physicians, 
dentists and other hands-on medical practitioners, 600 of whom had 
previously signed up. (Hospital workers and nursing home staff and 
residents are getting their vaccinations through their own 
institutions.)

As they move into the next phase — recipients 
include residents over 80, people with developmental disorders and 
school staff — the challenges will grow, he said. The county plans a 
multipronged approach to notify people when it’s their turn, including 
use of a website, the local media, churches, other organizations and 
word-of-mouth.

Adams shares the concerns of medical providers 
nationwide: He gets only two days’ notice of how many doses he’s going 
to receive and, at the current pace of 400 or 500 doses a week, it’s 
going to take a while before most residents in the county have a chance 
to get a shot, including the estimated 33,000 people 65 and older.

With
 10 nurses, his clinic can inject about 1,200 people a day. But many 
other health professionals have volunteered to administer the shots if 
he gets more doses.

“If I were to run three clinics, five days a 
week, I could do 15,000 vaccinations a week,” Adams said. “With all the 
volunteers, I could do almost six clinics, or 30,000 a week.”

Still,
 for those in the last public group, those age 18 and up without 
underlying medical conditions, “it could be summer,” Adams said.

<a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/" target="_blank">Kaiser Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the <a href="http://www.kff.org/" target="_blank">Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation</a> which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

By JULIE APPLEBY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-14/private-practice-doctors-patients-wonder-when-its-their-turn-for-the-covid-19-vaccine">Kaiser Health News</a>Dr. Andrew Carroll — a family doctor in Chandler, Arizona — wants to 
help his patients get immunized against covid, so he paid more than 
$4,000 to buy an ultra-low-temperature freezer from eBay needed to store
 the Pfizer vaccine.But he’s not sure he’ll get a chance to use 
it, given health officials have so far not said when private doctor’s 
offices will get vaccine.“I’m really angry,” said Carroll.Not
 only are doctors having trouble getting vaccine for patients, but many 
of the community-based physicians and medical staff that aren’t employed
 by hospitals or health systems also report mixed results in getting 
inoculated. Some have had their shots, yet others are still waiting, 
even though health workers providing direct care to patients are in the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s top-priority group.Many
 of these doctors say they don’t know when — or if — they will get doses
 for their patients, which will soon become a bigger issue as states 
attempt to vaccinate more people.“The reason that’s important is 
patients trust their doctors when it comes to the vaccine,” said 
Carroll, who has complained on social media that his county hasn’t yet 
released plans on how primary care doctors will be brought into the 
loop.Collectively, physicians in the county could vaccinate 
thousands of patients a day, he said, and might draw some who would 
otherwise be hesitant if they had to go to a large hospital, a 
fairground or another central site.His concern comes as, 
nationally, the rollout of the vaccine is off to a slower start than 
expected, lagging far behind the initial goal of giving 20 million doses
 before the new year.But Dr. Jen Brull, a family practice doctor 
in Plainville, Kansas, said her rural area has made good progress on the
 first phase of vaccinations, crediting close working relationships 
formed well before the pandemic.This fall, before any doses 
became available, the local hospital, the health department and 
physician offices coordinated a sign-up list for medical workers who 
wanted the vaccine. So, when their county, with a population of 5,000, 
got its first 70 doses, they were ready to go. Another 80 doses came a 
week later.“We’ll be able to vaccinate almost all the health care-associated folks who wanted it in the county” Brull said recently<h2>Gaps in the Rollout</h2>But that’s not the case everywhere.Dr.
 Jason Goldman, an internist in Coral Springs, Florida, said he was able
 to get vaccinated at a local hospital that received the bulk of 
vaccines in his county and oversaw distribution.In the weeks since, however, he said several of his front-line staff members still “don’t have access to the vaccine.”Additionally,
 “a tremendous number” of patients are calling his office because 
Florida has relaxed distribution guidelines to include anyone over age 
65, Goldman said, asking when they can get the vaccine. He’s applied to 
officials about distributing the vaccines through his practice but has 
heard nothing back.Patients “are frustrated that they do not have
 clear answers and that I am not being given clear answers to provide 
them,” he said. “We have no choice but to direct them to the health 
department and some of the hospital systems.”Another troubling 
point for Goldman, who served as a liaison between the American College 
of Physicians and the expert panel drawing up the CDC distribution 
guidelines, is the tremendous variation in how those recommendations are
 being implemented in the states.The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations-process.html" target="_blank">recommends</a>
 several phases, with front-line health care workers and nursing home 
residents and staff in the initial group. Then, in the second part of 
that phase, come people over 75 and non-health care front-line workers, 
which could include first responders, teachers and other designated 
essential workers.States have the flexibility to design their own
 rollout schedule and priority groups. Florida, for example, is offering
 doses to anyone 65 and up. In some counties, older folks were told 
vaccines were available on a first-come, first-served basis, a move that
 has resulted in long lines.“To say right now, 65-plus, when you 
haven’t even appropriately vaccinated all the health care workers, is 
negating the phasing,” said Goldman. “There needs to be a national 
standard. We have those guidelines. We need to come up with some 
oversight.”On Thursday, the American Hospital Association echoed 
that concern in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex 
Azar. Hospitals — along with health departments and large pharmacy 
chains — are doing the bulk of the vaccinations.Calling for additional coordination by federal officials, the <a href="https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2021/01/aha-hhs-leadership-actions-needed-expedite-administration-covid-19-vaccines-lettetr-1-7-20.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a>
 outlined what it would take to reach the goal of vaccinating 75% of 
Americans by the end of May: 1.8 million vaccinations every day. Noting 
there are 64 different rollout plans from states, cities and other 
jurisdictions, the letter asked whether HHS has “assessed whether these 
plans, taken as a whole, are capable of achieving this level of 
vaccination?”<h2>Making It Work</h2>Lack of direct national 
support or strategy means each county is essentially on its own, with 
success or failure affected by available resources and the experience of
 local officials. Most state and local health departments are 
underfunded and are under intense pressure because of the surging 
pandemic.Still, the success of vaccination efforts depends on planning, preparation and clear communication.In
 Lorain County, Ohio, population 310,000, local officials started 
practicing in October, said Mark Adams, deputy health commissioner. They
 set up mass vaccination clinics for influenza to study what would be 
needed for a covid vaccination effort. How many staff? What would the 
traffic flow be like? Could patients be kept 6 feet apart?“That 
gave us an idea of what is good, what is bad and what needs to change,” 
said Adams, who has had previous experience coordinating mass 
vaccination efforts at a county level.So, when the county got its
 first shipment of 500 doses Dec. 21, Adams had his plan ready. He 
called the fire chiefs to invite all emergency medical technicians and 
affiliated personnel to an ad hoc vaccination center set up at a large 
entertainment venue staffed by his health department. Upon arrival, 
people were greeted at the door and directed to spaced-apart “lanes” 
where they would get their shots, then to a monitoring area where they 
could wait for 15 minutes to make sure they didn’t have a reaction.Right
 after Christmas, another 400 doses arrived — and the makeshift clinic 
opened again. This time, doses went to community-based physicians, 
dentists and other hands-on medical practitioners, 600 of whom had 
previously signed up. (Hospital workers and nursing home staff and 
residents are getting their vaccinations through their own 
institutions.)As they move into the next phase — recipients 
include residents over 80, people with developmental disorders and 
school staff — the challenges will grow, he said. The county plans a 
multipronged approach to notify people when it’s their turn, including 
use of a website, the local media, churches, other organizations and 
word-of-mouth.Adams shares the concerns of medical providers 
nationwide: He gets only two days’ notice of how many doses he’s going 
to receive and, at the current pace of 400 or 500 doses a week, it’s 
going to take a while before most residents in the county have a chance 
to get a shot, including the estimated 33,000 people 65 and older.With
 10 nurses, his clinic can inject about 1,200 people a day. But many 
other health professionals have volunteered to administer the shots if 
he gets more doses.“If I were to run three clinics, five days a 
week, I could do 15,000 vaccinations a week,” Adams said. “With all the 
volunteers, I could do almost six clinics, or 30,000 a week.”Still,
 for those in the last public group, those age 18 and up without 
underlying medical conditions, “it could be summer,” Adams said.<a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/" target="_blank">Kaiser Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the <a href="http://www.kff.org/" target="_blank">Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation</a> which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Coronavirus Update