Latest COVID news: Springfield hospital deaths up; Shawnee Mission mandates masks

Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Kansas City region:

Shawnee Mission mandates COVID masks for all schools, all grades

The Shawnee Mission school board on Thursday decided to require masks for all students and staff when classes begin next week, going further than an earlier decision — and a county health order — that only mandated masks for elementary schools.

In a special meeting, the board voted 6-1 to mandate masks for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, as well as all staff members. Board member Brad Stratton was the only “no” vote.

“The masks work on stopping the spread. We know we can open and operate safely with masking in place,” school board president Heather Ousley said. “So it seems odd to not use that tool that’s available to us to make sure we can provide a learning environment for kids.”

Anti-mask protesters gather at City Hall in Kansas City

Dozens of people gathered at City Hall Thursday to protest Kansas City’s mask mandate, which took effect Monday.

Some of the protesters screamed profanities at city staff and security team members as they demanded to be let inside the building, according to Chris Hernandez, a city spokesman.

Much of the crowd was positioned outside of the downtown building’s security checkpoint. Several carried signs with messages against the mask mandate. Others remained in the foyer near the building’s security checkpoint.

More than half of COVID patients in Springfield ICU died in July

In July, more than half of the patients admitted to a Springfield hospital system’s intensive care unit with coronavirus died, according to a hospital official.

The update came as health leaders continued urging people to get vaccinated.

Erik Frederick, Mercy Springfield’s chief administrative officer, wrote on Twitter that last month 51% of those admitted to the ICU across Mercy Springfield Communities — which includes Mercy Hospital Springfield and five regional hospitals — died.

WyCo health official’s emails show frustration with political leaders

As Wyandotte County health officials prepared themselves to ask the county commission to issue a new mask mandate, emails show they were concerned about possible pushback and fretted how to best get their message out.

“I guess we could lay all that out and just say ‘our recommendation is that you do what you can to prevent a spike higher than last winter so you don’t have to live with knowledge of disastrous inaction,’”Wyandotte County Health Officer Allen Greiner wrote in an email obtained by The Star through a public records request.

The email, sent the night before the Centers for Disease Control issued its July 27 call for a return to masking in some parts of the country, revealed Greiner’s observation that a dire situation was unfolding.

“I guess we could lay all that out and just say ‘our recommendation is that you do what you can to prevent a spike higher than last winter so you don’t have to live with knowledge of disastrous inaction,’” Greiner wrote.

Jackson County reinstates COVID-19 mask order

Jackson County plans to reinstate its mask order effective on Monday in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant, the county announced Wednesday.

Under the public health order issued by County Executive Frank White, everyone age 5 or older is required to wear masks inside public places, whether or not they have been vaccinated for the coronavirus.

The restrictions apply to all public spaces in rural parts of the county and cities other than Kansas City and Independence, which have their own health departments that set the rules.

Kansas City recently imposed a citywide mask order, while Independence limited its mask requirements to all buildings owned or controlled by city government, such as City Hall, the Truman Memorial Building and Cable Dahmer Arena.

“I take no joy in making this announcement today,” White said in a prepared statement, “and quite frankly, am saddened that despite our best efforts, this virus is taking a devastating toll on our county, region and nation once again.”

This post will be updated throughout the day with additional COVID-19 news.