Sedgwick County COVID-19 Update – August 25, 2021

COVID-19 Overall Case Count
Confirmed cases as of noon August 25, 2021
(U.S. cases: Johns Hopkins University & Medicine; Kansas and counties cases: Kansas Department of Health & Environment; Sedgwick County Cases: Sedgwick County Health Department)

*Sedgwick County’s data reflects people who test positive with nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, oropharyngeal (throat) swab, or saliva molecular testing (confirmed COVID-19 cases). The KDHE dashboard differs because it also includes people who are IgM antibody test or antigen test positive if they are linked to a confirmed case or if they have COVID-19 symptoms.

Vaccination Doses Given by Sedgwick County

This table shows how many doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been provided by the Health Department. Vaccines are only available for Sedgwick County residents. More information can be found at the COVID-19 Vaccination StoryMap.

*This table only contains vaccination doses given by the Sedgwick County Health Department. Other vaccination providers are required to report vaccination doses given to KDHE, not Sedgwick County.

Sedgwick County Health Department COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Sedgwick County provides Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine (for people aged 12 and older) or one-dose Johnson and Johnson (for people 18 and older) at walk-in clinics (including the community vaccine clinic, 223 S. Main) across the County. Find a location near you at https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/covid-19/vaccine/clinic-locations/.

• You are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after receiving your second shot.

• Everyone, especially minors, are encouraged to eat a meal or snack prior to arriving to prevent any nausea that may occur following your vaccination.

• If you are receiving a vaccine, the Sedgwick County Health Department asks that you are well hydrated before and after receiving your dose.
• People going to the community vaccine clinic should plan to bring a quarter for the parking meter.
• To find a vaccine clinic near you, visit https://www.vaccines.gov/search/ and enter your ZIP Code. You can also check with your doctor’s office or community health center to find out if the vaccine is offered there.

Sedgwick County Health Department is providing a no-cost third dose of Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine to people who self-attest to having a moderately or severely weakened immune system and who have previously received two doses of Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine. Documentation of a qualifying condition is not a requirement. People who can receive a third dose should bring documentation of their first and second doses to the vaccine site.

If a person received the first and second dose of the Moderna vaccine, it is recommended they return to the location that they received Moderna. They may also check https://www.vaccines.gov and search for providers administering the Moderna vaccine near their location. The Sedgwick County Health Department only has the Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine available for a third dose.

People who can receive a third dose have one or more of the following conditions or treatments:

• People who have cancer or are taking cancer treating drugs
• People who have had organ transplants who are taking immunosuppressive drugs
• People who have diseases of the immune system, most of these are genetic conditions
• People who are taking drugs to treat serious inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
• People with advanced or untreated HIV

On Monday, August 23, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. This is the agency’s first complete authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccine will now be marketed as Comirnaty, with the full authorization applying to vaccine recipients aged 16 and older. The vaccine will continue to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA) for individuals aged 12 to 15 and in the administration of third doses to those with certain immune conditions or treatments.

Mobile and Partner Vaccine Clinics

Sedgwick County provides Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine (for people aged 12 and older) or one-dose Johnson and Johnson (for people aged 18 and older) at no-cost walk in clinics – including the community vaccine clinic, 223 S. Main – across the County. If you are a business planning an event and would like to offer COVID-19 vaccine, please contact the Sedgwick County Health Department at SCHDCovidVaccine@sedgwick.gov

Item giveaways may be provided to people who receive vaccine at certain mobile and partner clinic locations as identified below.

No-Cost, Walk-In COVID-19 Sampling

• No-cost, walk-in sampling is regularly available for residents, regardless of symptoms, through the Health Department Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. No appointment is required.

• Mobile testing sites are held occasionally on Saturdays and Sundays

• The County sampling site is at the Sedgwick County Park Sunflower Shelter, 6501 W. 21^st St, Wichita, KS, 67205 and takes saliva, NP, and oral PCR samples.
• Please enter off of 13^th Street and follow the signs in the park.
• Results are generally available within 12-24 hours. The Health Department will make three attempts to reach residents with their results.

• If you receive a voicemail or missed call from the Health Department, please call back in order to receive your results.
• For the quickest response, please call (316) 660-1022 and listen for the prompt to leave a message for the results department. 
• NOTICE! The County sampling site will be CLOSED on Monday, September 6.  
• Beginning Monday July 19, Sedgwick County Health Department will perform in-house testing of COVID-19 nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) samples collected by Health Department staff.
• In addition to the Sedgwick County Health Department, there are additional no-cost testing sites in Wichita for residents to utilize. For more information and to schedule an appointment, please visit https://www.gogettested.com/kansas

Sedgwick County Updates

• After insightful discussions during the Board of County Commission staff meeting on Tuesday, August 3, regarding the latest local information on COVID-19, Dr. Minns is making a strong recommendation to Sedgwick County for the following:
  • Vaccinations for anyone eligible including those aged 12 and older as soon as possible.
  • Follow the CDC recommendation regarding the wearing of masks or face coverings.  These recommendations include anyone not fully vaccinated and aged 2 or older, wear a mask in indoor public spaces. Additionally, in areas of substantial or high transmission (including Sedgwick County) consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings or for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated. 
  • For individuals that are fully vaccinated, to maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wearing a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission(including Sedgwick County).

• The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is partnering with Lyft to provide access to reliable, affordable transportation to older adults who need a ride to the get to their COVID-19 vaccine.
• Aging services professionals can help their older clients by using the special #LyftUp promo codes – worth up to $25 per person each way.
• The vaccine ride codes are part of the LyftUp program to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
• There are no location restrictions, and the vaccine ride codes are valid through December 31, 2021.
• For more information visit https://www.ncoa.org/article/ncoa-and-lyft-help-older-adults-get-rides-to-their-covid-19-vaccine
• Johns Hopkins University and IBM Research have unveiled a new artificial-intelligence chat-bot developed to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
• The chat-bot, Vaccine Information Resource Assistant, or VIRA, allows you to ask questions about COVID-19 vaccines and provides science-based answers.
• It can be found at www.vaxchat.org.