5 p.m. COVID-19 update

5 p.m. COVID-19 update

FORECAST COMING UP SPEAKING OFMISSOURI IS PROVIDING NEWNUMBERS ON THE ON A VIRUS.IT’S BEEN ABOUT TWO HUNDRED DAYSSINCE THE STATE REPORTED.IT’S VERY FIRST CASE ANDMISSOURI IS NOW REPORTING 1,400NEW CASES SINCE MONDAY HEALTHOFFICIALS SAY THAT THEY’RETRYING TO CORRECT SOME ISSUES OFCASES BEING COUNTED TWICE ANDCASES BEING CONFIRMED WITHOUTPROPER VERIFICATION NOW KANSASWILL PUT OUT NEW NUMBERSTOMORROW.LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THEPOSITIVITY RATE ONE OF THE BESTWAYS TO TRACK THE SPREAD OFCORONAVIRUS IN OUR AREA.KANSAS 16% OF TESTS ARE COMINGBACK POSITIVE IN MISSOURI.IT’S 12.4% THE NATIONAL RATE ISFOUR POINT SEVEN PERCENT COVIDTESTING IS A BIG POINT OFDISCUSSION HERE IN THE KANSASCITY AREA HEALTH OFFICIALS ARENOTICING A DECLINE IN THEGETTING TESTED.IT’S A HOT TOPIC.WE’VE HEARD ABOUT FOUR MONTHS.SHOULD YOU GET TESTED FORCOVID-19 HURLEY ON THE MESSAGINGSAID THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH TESTS,BUT STATISTICS HERE IN KANSASCITY SHOW NOT ENOUGH PEOPLEPMIGHUS ACCURATE DATA ABOUT HOW COVIDIS SPREADING THE AVERAGE NUMBEROF TESTS IN THE KANSAS CITYREGION DROPPED ABOUT 29% JUSTWITHIN THE PAST WEEK IN JULY OURMONDAY.IT WAS HALF THAT TUESDAY MORNINGWAS A BIG TOPIC ON A CALL.KANSAS CITY’S POLITICAL HEALTHAND EDUCATION LEADERS.WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO MORETESTING THAT WE’RE CURRENTLYDOING AND WE NEED TO BE MOREFOCUSED ON THAT.EL LEADERS ON THAT CALL SAYPUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS NEED TOCOORDINATE BETTER MESSAGING TOLET THE PUBLIC KNOW JUST HOWMUCH TESTING IS AVAILABLE IN OURREGION.WELL MORE KIDS WILL BE HEADINGBACK TO THE CLASSROOM OVER THENEXT WEEK AND THAT INCLUDESELEMENTARY STUDENTS IN THESHAWNEE MISSION DISTRICT.KMBC 9S.KELLY.GIBBS IS LIVE AT DISTRICTHEADQUARTERS IN OVERLAND PARKWITH MORE OF THE DETAILS.THAT’S RIGHT HALEY.WILL YOU CAN SEE TONIGHT BEHINDME THAT OUR PARENTS OUT HERETHAT ARE MAKING THEIR VOICESHEARD.THEY’RE SAYING THAT THEY WANTTHEIR STUDENTS BACK IN CLASSFULL-TIME AND THEY SAY THEDISTRICT IS MAKING A MOVE TO PUTSTUDENTS BACK IN THE CLASSROOMWITH THE HYBRID MODEL OFLEARNING AND A SCHOOLS ACROSSTHE METRO ARE MAKING THATTRANSITION.WE’RE LEARNING THAT SUBSTITUTETEACHER SHORTAGES ARE NOWRUNNING A MAJOR CHALLENGE AT FORCLASSROOMS ACROSS THE METRO.45 YEARS.I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKETHIS.DR. KENNY SOUTHWICK IS THEEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THECOOPERATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS OFGREATER, KANSAS CITY A GROUPREACHING ACROSS STATE LINES TOPROVIDE HELP DURING THE PANDEMICSOUTHWICK SAYS A BIG CHALLENGETHIS YEAR MANY SUBSTITUTETEACHERS ARE OPTING OUT OFCOMING INTO THE CLASSROOM.NOTING HEALTH CONCERNS AS SOMEOF THE BIGGEST REASONS WHY AGENERATION OF KIDS WHO’S HADTHEIR EDUCATION SYSTEMS UPROOTEDSO WE’RE GOING TO WORK VERY HARDTO MAKE SURE THAT THESE KIDSDON’T MISS OUT IN AN EFFORT TOKEEP STUDENTS ON TRACK.HE’S ENCOURAGING THOSE QUALIFIEDTO STEP IN AND HELP AND ALSOTHOSE INTERESTED TO TAKE ACLOSER LOOK AT THEQUALIFICATIONS TO BECOMECERTIFIED LESS THAN THE MIDWESTHAVE GREAT EDUCATION GREATTEACHERS GREAT SCHOOL SYSTEMDURING COMMUNITIES, AND WE’REGOING TO WE’ GOING TO WORK ITTOGETHER.DOCTOR SOUTH WIG ALSOHIGHLIGHTING THAT THEAVAILABILITY OF THOSE TEACHERSVARIES, OF COURSE DISTRICT TODISTRICT REPORTING LIVE INOVERLAND PARK KELLY GIBBS KMBC 9NEWS SOUTH WITH ALSO SAYS THENEED FOR SUBS ESPECIALLY ISBECOMING CRITICAL AS WE KNOWAPPROACH FLU SEASON.LEE’S SUMMIT IS BRINGING BACKSTUDENTS NEXT WEEK GRADES 4THROUGH 12 WILL BE SWITCHING TOHYBRID LEARNING STUDENTS WITHLAST NAMES A THROUGH K WILL GOSCHOOL IN PERSON MONDAY ANDTUESDAY AND FOR STUDENTS LTHROUGH Z.IT’S GOING TO BE THURSDAY ANDFRIDAY NO CHANGES FOR FAMILIESTHAT SHOWS VIRTUAL LEARNING FORTHE FIRST TIME THE NFL ISDEALING WITH A CLUSTER OFPOSITIVE COVID TESTS DURING THEREGULAR SEASON CAME BESIDESKAREN KORNACKI S HERE WITH ANUPDATE KAREN.THANKS, MATT, YOU KNOW THETITANS ARE CLOSING THEIRFACILITIES UNTIL SATURDAY AFTERTHREE PLAYERS AND FIVE STAFFERSTESTED POSITIVE.THE TEAM SAYS IT’S HALTINGIN-PERSON MEETINGS AND PRACTICESJUST OUT OF AN ABUNDAN OFCAUTION THE LEAGUE IDENTIFIEDFOR EIGHT PEOPLE WHO CAME INCONTACT WITH THOSE 18 MEMBERSTHE VIKINGS WHO PLAYED THETITANS SUNDAY ARE DOING THE VERYSAME THING EVEN THOUGH THERE ARENO POSITIVE TESTS.NOW THOSE TEAMS MAY BE FORCED TORESCHEDULE THEIR WEEK FOURGAMES.THE GAMES COULD GET PUSHED TOMONDAY OR TUESDAY OR THE TEAMSCOULD RESCHEDULE THEIR BY WEEKSMATTERS PLAYERS WHO TESTPOSITIVE FOR COVID, BUT DON’TSHOW SYMPTOMS CAN RETURN 10 DAYSAFTER THE TEST PLAYERS WHO TESTPOSITIVE MUST BE CLEARED BY THETEAM’S AND UNDERGO CARDIACTESTING CRIMINALS ARE TARGETINGKANSAS’S UNEMPLOYMENT SYSTEM ANDIT’S DELAYING RELIEF PAYMENTS TOTHOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO’VE LOSTTHEIR JOBS DURING THE PANDEMICQUITE A SITUATION.THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE ACTINGSECRETARY OF THE KANSASDEPARTMENT OF LABOR SCAMMERS AREPRIMARILY TARGETING THE PANDEMICUNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.THE AGENCY HAS BLOCKED AT LEASTFORTY FIVE THOUSAND FRAUDULENTPAYMENTS AND AUDIT COULDDETERMINE HOW MANY PAYMENTS WERENOT BLOCKED DISNEY IS LAYING OFFTWENTY WORKERS IN ITS PARKSDIVISION.IN MANY OF THE LAYOFFS INVOLVEPART-TIME WORKERS THE PARKSCLOSED DURING STAY AT HOMEWATERS IN THE SPRING THE FLORIDAPARKS REOPEN THE S