COVID-19
‘A nice, regular fall’: Kansas doctors call for more vaccinations to dampen COVID-19 cases
TOPEKA — Doctors warn that colder months have already brought an uptick in COVID-19 cases, especially in the urban parts of the state, though numbers are still significantly lower than they were during the height of the pandemic. During a Wednesday update on the state’s COVID-19 situation, doctors and health officials asked Kansans to take […]
Food and Drug Administration approves COVID boosters for upcoming season
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the latest round of COVID-19 boosters, as public health officials brace for another cold and flu season. An advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to vote on recommendations Tuesday, the final step in the process before people will […]
Updated COVID-19 vaccines expected to be available in September, federal officials say
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is gearing up for a fall vaccination campaign that not only includes updated COVID-19 boosters, but the annual flu shot and the newly approved RSV vaccine. “We’re going to be encouraging Americans to get their COVID-19 vaccine in addition to their annual flu shot, as well as the immunizations for […]
Hospitalizations in Kansas and nationwide signal ‘summer surge’ of COVID-19
TOPEKA — A national summer uptick in COVID-19 cases has arrived, but Kansas physicians are still waiting to see if cases in the state follow national trends. Across the U.S., hospitalizations have been on the rise since the beginning of July, the first increase seen this year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
Kansas GOP chairman: Latest Trump indictment a leap by U.S. into ‘banana republic territory’
Kansas Republican Party chairman Mike Brown says classified-document indictment of former President Donald Trump should be withdrawn by federal prosecutors.
Kansas Action for Children sounds alarm on anti-vax, food security and child care bills
The nonprofit Kansas Action for Children says the 2023 Legislature followed the wrong policy path on food stamp, child care and anti-vaccination bills.
Fast federal response to pandemic key to US economic recovery, economists say
The public health emergency declaration ended on Thursday, and with it some of the policies that helped the U.S. recover from the many of the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Although COVID-19 is still a public health threat, the national economic crisis it created has subsided with the U.S. economy back to its pre-pandemic […]
Kansas governor vetoes bill on child COVID-19 vaccines, authority of health officials
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly shot down an anti-vaccination bill that would have blocked child COVID-19 vaccination requirements and stripped authority from public health officials, a move greeted with outrage from Republican leaders in the Legislature. House Bill 2285, sent to Kelly’s desk in the last days of the legislative session, narrowly passed the House […]
As the COVID public health emergency ends, prepping for a new pandemic is next
WASHINGTON — After more than three years and 1.1 million deaths, the United States on Thursday will end the public health emergency for COVID-19 — and Congress is attempting to better prepare for a possible resurgence of that virus or another. The expiration of the designation, originally put in place in January 2020, means alterations […]
Kelly relies on executive power to scuttle deal on COVID-19 lawsuit filed by Wichita business
Six Republican legislators on the State Finance Council wanted to settle a COVID-19 lawsuit filed in Wichita, but Gov. Laura Kelly rejected the deal.
Legislature narrowly approves bill stripping authority from state, local public health officials
Kansas Legislature presented Gov. Laura Kelly with a bill restricting authority of state and local public health officials responding to health emergencies.
Long COVID is hurting business; workplace accommodations could help
Three years after the start of the pandemic, millions of working age people still suffer from long COVID-19 and some lawmakers and advocates, including people with long COVID, say not enough is being done to protect their well-being and ensure they can continue to be employed. Proposed federal legislation, better workplace accommodations, and more federal […]