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Kansas City COVID-19 Daily Briefing for May 7

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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 are treating 33 patients for COVID-19.

Twenty-four of those have active infections, 11 of whom are in the intensive care unit and nine on ventilators.

Nine patients are in the hospital recovering.

The doctors said while the overall case trend in the United States is encouraging, the numbers in the Kansas City area leave something to be desired.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steve Stites noted 11 is more patients in the ICU than the hospital has seen in a while, and said he is concerned that nine of those are on ventilators.

Kansas City-area family shares Children's Mercy pediatric vaccine trial experience

"I am way more confident in a vaccine that millions of people have received than a virus that millions of people have died of," said one parent who enrolled her 2-year-old in a COVID-19 vaccine trial.

Phase 1 trials for the Pfizer vaccine in children ages 6 months to 11 years old are underway at Children's Mercy.

Doctors there are administering much smaller doses to children. Their goal is to figure out the correct dosage by testing the children's antibodies to see if they are reaching the same levels as adults.

Missouri National Guard to scale back assistance with COVID-19 vaccine clinics

Decreased demand for the COVID-19 vaccine in Missouri means the state's national guard is scaling back its assistance with mass vaccine clinics.

The Missouri National Guard has helped administer 8% of the state's total vaccine doses.

A full withdrawal of the guard is expected by June 1.

Kansas City Monarchs to open season with full fan capacity

With COVID-19 restrictions loosened in Wyandotte County, the Kansas City Monarchs plan to open their stadium at full capacity this season.

Masks will still be required for any indoor seating. Outdoors, there will be areas with distanced seating for fans who still prefer more space.

In-depth: With lumber prices high, should I wait on my deck project?

With a flurry of DIY projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, the price of lumber has skyrocketed.

Those looking to begin home improvement projects now have a couple options, according to a local expert: buy lumber now, lest prices rise more; or wait to buy until a predicted price dip in the Kansas City area in July and August.

Find more coronavirus news and resources from 41 Action News here.