COVID-19 news: Hospitals in ‘bidding war’ over nurses, Kansas death may be 1st in U.S.
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Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Kansas City area:
Hospitals wage travel nurse ‘bidding war’ amid staff shortage
Demand for travel nurses has skyrocketed as the COVID-19 case surge spawned by the delta variant is crushing hospitals across the U.S. And hospitals in Missouri and Kansas are angling to hire them as the number of nurses may determine how many patients can be treated at a given time.
The demand has driven the cost of hiring way up. Some jobs advertise pay of $5,600 per week; some nurses have heard they can make $10,000 or more.
The intense competition for a limited pool of workers has led Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly to publicly fret that the facilities will be outbid. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has promised to provide hospitals with millions in financial aid, but it’s unclear how much of a difference it will make.
Newly reported Kansas death may be first in nation
A Leavenworth County resident may be the first person on record to die from COVID-19 in the nation, according to data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the CDC.
The medical certifier ruled COVID-19 as the cause on a Jan. 9, 2020, death certificate, KDHE spokesman Matt Lara said.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the first death in the U.S. occurred in the week ending Jan. 11, 2020, which would make Leavenworth County the first known place where someone died from the virus.
Kelly orders state employees back to remote work
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is sending state employees back to working remotely as COVID-19 cases rise and hospital capacity is once again strained.
The decision comes roughly 10 weeks after state workers returned to normal operations, buoyed by widespread access to the COVID-19 vaccine and testing.
The delta variant of COVID-19, however, has driven the about-face. The state is now averaging 941 new cases of the virus per day and hospitals are reporting strained capacity driven by staffing shortages.
Clinic opening in 18th & Vine District
A new vaccine effort launches next week in Kansas City’s 18th & Vine District, following full FDA approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
On Monday, coronavirus vaccines will be available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at 1616 East 18th Street, said Kansas City Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, who is also president of the Black Health Care Coalition.
All three vaccines —Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — will be available.
The Star’s Katie Moore, Katie Bernard, Anna Spoerre, Jonathan Shorman, Daniel Desrochers Jeanne Kuang and Bill Lukitsch contributed to this report.
