KANSAS CITY, Mo. — 41 Action News is offering a daily recap of COVID-19 related stories from across Kansas City and the country. Check back every morning for the latest developments.
LATEST: COVID-19 case tracker for Missouri, Kansas and Kansas City
University of Kansas Health System daily update
Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System said they’re treating the fewest patients for active COVID-19 infections since June.
Eleven patients are suffering acute infections, two of whom are in the intensive care unit on ventilators.
There are 23 patients in the hospital recovering from the virus.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman joined the doctors on the call Tuesday to discuss Kansas’ vaccination phases and the new guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
New CDC guidelines bring hope to Kansas City metro
The new CDC guidance says that people who are fully vaccinated (which is defined as two weeks after the second dose) can visit indoors unmasked with people in a single household, so long as they are at a low risk for COVID-19 and have no comorbidities.
Those guidelines are giving hope to people in the Kansas City area that a some sort of normalcy is on the horizon and they may be able to visit with family once again.
Missouri pharmacies prepare to receive 15% of state's weekly vaccine allotment
A new state-level pharmacy vaccine distribution plan could help get the COVID-19 vaccine to more people.
The state announced 15% of its allotment will be given out through 161 local pharmacies.
KC metro hospitals see decrease in COVID-19 patients
Hospitals around the Kansas City area are reporting lower numbers of patients in their COVID-19 units and fewer people who are seriously ill.
At some hospitals, doctors are treating fewer than 10 patients. One hospital reported no COVID-19 patients in isolation or the ICU.
Big 12 commissioner: Canceling events in 2020 ‘saved a lot of lives’
As the Big 12 Championship returns to Kansas City, Commissioner Bob Bowlsby reflected on this time last year when first, fans were eliminated from the arena and then the tourney was canceled all together.
Bowlsby said on a call with federal authorities following the cancellation, they told him calling the events off likely "saved a lot of lives."
The tournament will be played this year with limited crowd sized and COVID-19 precautions in place.
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