A new mask mandate for kids ages 2-11 is now in effect in Douglas County, despite public commenters drawing comparisons to the Holocaust and threatening to unenroll their kids from public schools Wednesday night.
Tessa Weinberg/Missouri Independent
Nursing homes will be required to ensure their staffers are vaccinated against COVID-19, or risk losing federal Medicare and Medicaid dollars, the Biden administration announced Wednesday in a major move on vaccinations as the Delta variant sweeps many states.
Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the KU Health System, says the low rate of vaccination from COVID-19 and a lack of social distancing or wearing a face covering has allowed the delta variant to bring “so much of this country to its knees.” And it’s only the beginning.
The Douglas County Commission on Wednesday will consider a new mask mandate to slow the spread of COVID-19 cases in the population group not yet eligible to receive a vaccination for the respiratory virus: children ages 2 to 11.
Tricia Masenthin / The Lawrence Times
The third school year of the COVID-19 pandemic kicks off this week in Lawrence Public Schools. As students join their teachers in classrooms across Lawrence, questions and uncertainties loom.
Lawrence Times graphic
The health department has been working with partners to determine how many Douglas County residents might qualify for COVID-19 booster shots.
Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector
More Kansans are dying from COVID-19 now than they were a year ago, as new cases continue to escalate and the vaccine rate remains flat.
Drone Lawrence / dronelawrence.com
As the University of Kansas prepares for another semester dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic — this time with new concerns about the highly contagious Delta variant — faculty members want more transparency and stronger virus protocols.
Tessa Weinberg/Missouri Independent
In Kansas, just more than 56% of nursing home workers are vaccinated. The state ranks 35th.
Jeff Burkhead via LMH
Until Friday, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health had not confirmed any reports of vaccinated Douglas County residents being hospitalized with COVID-19.
