COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES: Missouri announces more than 600 new COVID-19 cases Friday – KMBC Kansas City

The Kansas City metro area continues to reopen as more and more of the population gets the COVID-19 vaccine.What you need to know:The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Friday the state has 316,539 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and there have been 5,129 deaths since the outbreak started. Overall, the state said 43.6% of the population has been vaccinated with at least one dose and 37.6% have completed vaccination. Kansas only updates its case totals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Friday there have been 518,188 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak and 9,228 deaths. Overall, the state said 43.4% of the population has received at least one dose and 37.7% have completed vaccination.FRIDAY9:30 p.m. — Starting next week, the Unified Government Public Health Department said it will be launching a COVID vaccine and testing incentive program for Wyandotte County. Details are expected to be released soon.12:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 196 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since Wednesday, pushing the statewide total to 316,539 since the outbreak started.KDHE reported 1 new death, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,129. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 33 to 10,959 since the start of the outbreak.State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 15 cases.The overall monthly positivity is at 2.6% for June 2021 to date. That number is down from a high of 16.5% in November.The state also said it has vaccinated 1,269,096 people, 2,288,547 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 43.6% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose and 37.6% have completed vaccination.[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 59,550 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 57,732. Wyandotte County is third with 20,883 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,291 cases, Douglas County reports 8,952 and Miami County has 2,790.Health officials said they’re now monitoring 22 outbreak clusters. A total of 1,732 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 21 hospitalizations and 10 deaths.Noon: Frustrated health officials in the Springfield, Missouri area are imploring residents to get COVID-19 vaccinations as the faster-spreading Delta variant pushes case numbers and hospitalizations higher.Erik Frederick, chief administrative officer at Mercy Hospital Springfield, said hospitalizations averaged in the teens a month ago but have increased until reaching 72 by Thursday. CoxHealth has seen similar numbers.Many of the new patients are young, healthy adults and pregnant women, he said. READ MORE.11:30 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 518,188 on Friday, which is an increase of 679 cases. The state also reported there have been 91,188 (+238) possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,228 (+1) deaths since the start of the outbreak.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 6.2%, according to the MDHSS. While that number has climbed two percentage points this month, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,820,897 vaccine doses, 2,666,015 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,315,716 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 43.4% of the population has received at least one dose and 37.7% have completed vaccination.An estimated 41.8% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 40%, Clay County is at 33.8%, Cass County is at 34.2% and Platte County is at 29.2%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 2,628 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 375 cases a day.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,856 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,567 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,498 cases in Clay County, 7,844 in Cass County and 3,352 in Platte County.THURSDAY1:30 p.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 517,509 on Thursday, which is an increase of 482 cases. The state also reported there have been 90,937 (+242) possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,227 (+3) deaths since the start of the outbreak. The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 6.1%, according to the MDHSS. While that number has climbed nearly two percentage points this month, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,775,854 vaccine doses, 2,655,249 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,280,298 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 43.3% of the population has received at least one dose and 37.2% have completed vaccination.An estimated 41.7% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 39.9%, Clay County is at 33.7%, Cass County is at 34.1% and Platte County is at 29.1%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 2,531 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 362 cases a day.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,833 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,535 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,487 cases in Clay County, 7,836 in Cass County and 3,346 in Platte County.WEDNESDAY12:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 329 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since Monday, pushing the statewide total to 316,343 since the outbreak started.KDHE reported 3 new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,128. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 35 to 10,926 since the start of the outbreak.State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 15 cases.The overall monthly positivity is at 2.6% for June 2021 to date. That number is down from a high of 16.5% in November.The state also said it has vaccinated 1,265,138 people, 2,278,005 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 43.4% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose and 37.4% have completed vaccination.[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 59,514 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 57,688. Wyandotte County is third with 20,859 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,293 cases, Douglas County reports 8,948 and Miami County has 2,788.Health officials said they’re now monitoring 22 outbreak clusters. A total of 1,732 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 21 hospitalizations and 1o deaths.9 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 517,027 on Wednesday, which is an increase of 586 cases. The state also reported there have been 90,695 (+271) possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,224 (+2) deaths since the start of the outbreak. The state the spike is attributed to further review of death certificates.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 5.9%, according to the MDHSS. While that number has climbed a percentage point this month, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,751,408 vaccine doses, 2,647,276 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,263,083 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 43.1% of the population has received at least one dose and 36.9% have completed vaccination.An estimated 41.6% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 39.9%, Clay County is at 33.6%, Cass County is at 34% and Platte County is at 29.1%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 2,512 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 359 cases a day.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,812 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,524 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,483 cases in Clay County, 7,833 in Cass County and 3,346 in Platte County.TUESDAY12:15 p.m. — The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 topped 600,000 on Tuesday, even as the vaccination drive has drastically brought down daily cases and fatalities and allowed the country to emerge from the gloom and look forward to summer. READ MORE10:30 a.m. — All the emergency orders issued by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly to fight the COVID-19 pandemic will end Tuesday night.The orders will expire at 11:59 p.m. after the Legislative Coordinating Council – a group of top legislators in Kansas – decided to not meet Tuesday to consider an extension. A law enacted in late March required the legislative leaders to sign off on an extension on the emergency orders that have been in place since March 2020.Kelly called the move by the LCC, which is led by five Republican and two Democratic members, a political decision. READ MORE9:15 a.m. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced Tuesday he signed House Bill 271 into law, establishing what he said creates “greater accountability for local leaders when imposing public health orders.” The law also prohibits local COVID-19 vaccine passports. READ MORE8:45 a.m. — Several emergency orders issued by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly to fight the COVID-19 pandemic will end Tuesday night. READ MORE8 a.m. — Officials with the University of Kansas Health System said doctors at the University of Kansas Hospital are currently treating 15 active infections, including two patients in the ICU and one on a ventilator. The hospital said it is treating 22 total COVID-19 patients with seven listed in the recovery phase. That’s the highest number in weeks, and doctors said they have noticed a “jump in numbers.”Doctors said only one of the patients at KU is fully vaccinated, and that patient has been positive since Dec. 2020 and never got rid of the virus. They also said three of the 15 with active cases are only partially vaccinated.7:30 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 516,441 on Tuesday, which is an increase of 384 cases. The state also reported there have been 90,424 (+270) possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,222 (+26) deaths since the start of the outbreak. The state the spike is attributed to further review of death certificates.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 5.5%, according to the MDHSS. While that number has climbed a percentage point this month, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,736,797 vaccine doses, 2,641,273 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,253,740 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 43% of the population has received at least one dose and 36.7% have completed vaccination.An estimated 41.5% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 39.8%, Clay County is at 33.6%, Cass County is at 34% and Platte County is at 29%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 2,218 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 317 cases a day.State data shows a large increase in cases in Linn and Livingston counties in north-central Missouri in the past seven days. These two counties have some of the highest rates of infection in the country currently, with Linn County reporting 84 cases in the past seven days.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,787 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,504 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,477 cases in Clay County, 7,829 in Cass County and 3,346 in Platte County.[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ][ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ] MONDAY8:15 p.m. — Vaccination clinics are being offered this week at several locations in Johnson County, Kansas:Tuesday, June 15 from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Lenexa Farmers Market, 17201 W. 87th Street Parkway, Lenexa Thursday, June 17 from 4 – 6 p.m., Mission Southside, 514 S. Kansas Ave., Olathe Friday, June 18 from 4:30 – 7 p.m., Frontier Days, Edgerton Saturday, June 19 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Thompson Park Carriage House, 8045 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park Saturday, June 19 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Franklin Park, Roe Ave & Somerset Drive, Prairie Village 12:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 245 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since last Friday, pushing the statewide total to 316,014 since the outbreak started.KDHE reported 19 new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,125. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 13 to 10,891 since the start of the outbreak.State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 15 cases.The overall monthly positivity is at 2.5% for June 2021 to date. That number is down from a high of 16.5% in November.The state also said it has vaccinated 1,260,888 people, 2,265,189 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 43.3% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose and 37.1% have completed vaccination.[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 59,450 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 57,633. Wyandotte County is third with 20,824 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,290 cases, Douglas County reports 8,943 and Miami County has 2,784.Health officials said they’re now monitoring 33 outbreak clusters. A total of 1,518 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 24 hospitalizations and 14 deaths.9:15 a.m. — Out-of-work Missourians relying on that extra $300 a week in extended federal jobless help saw those payments end on Saturday after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson pulled the state out of the program. Parson says people were making more on unemployment than working a job and businesses everywhere need people now. And the demand for employees is high across the metro, especially with the Kansas City Transportation Group, which is looking for drivers as demand has skyrocketed as the metro emerges from COVID-19 restrictions. READ MORE9 a.m. — Officials with the University of Kansas Health System said doctors at the University of Kansas Hospital are currently treating 11 active infections, including two patients in the ICU and two on a ventilator. The hospital said it is treating 16 total COVID-19 patients with five listed in the recovery phase. Doctors said there are noticing a “COVID creep” as the numbers are creeping up.8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 516,057 on Monday, which is an increase of 227 cases. The state also reported there have been 90,154 (+74) possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,196 (+0) deaths since the start of the outbreak.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 5.4%, according to the MDHSS. While that number has climbed a percentage point this month, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,717,724 vaccine doses, 2,634,608 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,240,692 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 42.9% of the population has received at least one dose and 36.5% have completed vaccination.An estimated 41.3% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 39.7%, Clay County is at 33.5%, Cass County is at 33.8% and Platte County is at 28.9%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 2,122 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 303 cases a day.State data shows a large increase in cases in Linn and Livingston counties in north-central Missouri in the past seven days. These two counties have some of the highest rates of infection in the country currently, with Linn County reporting 79 cases in the past seven days.Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,762 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,494 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,468 cases in Clay County, 7,825 in Cass County and 3,345 in Platte County.7:30 a.m. — Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its shot was highly effective against COVID-19 and also protected against variants in a large, late-stage study in the U.S. and Mexico. The vaccine was about 90% effective overall and preliminary data showed it was safe, the company said. READ MORE[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ][ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ] SUNDAY6:30 p.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 515,830 on Sunday, which is an increase of 267 cases. The state also reported there have been 90,154 (+293) possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,196 (+0) deaths since the start of the outbreak.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 5.3%, according to the MDHSS. While that number has climbed a percentage point this month, the number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,711,90 vaccine doses, 2,632,802 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,236,568 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 42.9% of the population has received at least one dose and 36.4% have completed vaccination.An estimated 41.3% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 39.6%, Clay County is at 33.4%, Cass County is at 33.8% and Platte County is at 28.9%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 2,156 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 308 cases a day.State data shows a large increase in cases in Linn and Livingston counties in north-central Missouri in the past seven days. These two counties have some of the highest rates of infection in the country currently. [ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ][ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ] SATURDAY8:30 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 515,563 on Saturday, which is an increase of 407 cases. The state also reported there have been 89,861 (+145) possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,196 (+1) deaths since the start of the outbreak.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 5.1%, according to the MDHSS. That number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,690,569 vaccine doses, 2,624,863 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,222,290 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 42.8% of the population has received at least one dose and 36.2% have completed vaccination.An estimated 41.1% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 39.5%, Clay County is at 33.3%, Cass County is at 33.7% and Platte County is at 28.8%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 2,170 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 310 cases a day.State data shows a large increase in cases in Linn and Livingston counties in north-central Missouri with Linn County recording 77 new cases in the past seven days. These two counties have some of the highest rates of infection in the country currently. Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,738 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,486 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,468 cases in Clay County, 7,822 in Cass County and 3,344 in Platte County. [ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ][ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ] FRIDAY12:15 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 269 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since Wednesday, pushing the statewide total to 315,769 since the outbreak started.KDHE reported three new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,106. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 29 to 10,878 since the start of the outbreak.State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 15 cases.The overall monthly positivity is at 2.5% for June 2021 to date, slightly down from last month according to the KDHE. That number is still down from a high of 16.5% in November.The state also said it has vaccinated 1,256,888 people, 2,254,466 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 43.1% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose and 36.8% have completed vaccination.[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 59,411 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 57,550. Wyandotte County is third with 20,797 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,286 cases, Douglas County reports 8,942 and Miami County has 2,784.Health officials said they’re now monitoring 33 outbreak clusters. A total of 1,518 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 24 hospitalizations and 14 deaths.10 a.m. — Heads up Kansas drivers! Kansans with a driver’s license or identification card that expired between March 12, 2020, and March 30, 2021, have until June 30 to renew those credentials, the Kansas Department of Revenue said in a news release on Friday. READ MORE9 a.m. — Officials with the University of Kansas Health System said doctors at the University of Kansas Hospital are currently treating five active infections, including three patients in the ICU and one on the ventilator. The hospital said it is treating nine total COVID-19 patients with four listed in the recovery phase. Doctors said they have not had any inpatient COVID-19 deaths since May 23.8:30 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 515,156 on Friday, which is an increase of 438 cases. The state also reported there have been 89,861 (+199) possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,195 (+2) deaths since the start of the outbreak.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 5.1%, according to the MDHSS. That number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,674,800 vaccine doses, 2,618,286 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,212,305 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 42.7% of the population has received at least one dose and 36% have completed vaccination.An estimated 41% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 39.4%, Clay County is at 33.3%, Cass County is at 33.6% and Platte County is at 28.7%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 2,149 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 307 cases a day.State data shows a large increase in cases in Linn and Livingston counties in north-central Missouri with Linn County recording 71 new cases in the past seven days. These two counties have some of the highest rates of infection in the country currently. Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,716 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,476 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,464 cases in Clay County, 7,822 in Cass County and 3,342 in Platte County. [ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ][ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ] THURSDAY6:05 p.m. — North Kansas City Schools has updated its COVID-19 face mask policy. The Clay County Health Department released updated guidance for schools on Thursday, lifting the mask requirement for all school buildings. The school district said that students, staff and guests will no longer be required to wear a mask at district buildings. READ MORE10 a.m. — Moderna filed for emergency use authorization with the Food and Drug Administration for its COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 12 to 17, according to a news release from the company. READ MORE8:30 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 514,718 on Thursday, which is an increase of 482 cases. The state also reported there have been 89,662 (+205) possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,193 (+0) deaths since the start of the outbreak.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 4.9%, according to the MDHSS. That number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,650,166 vaccine doses, 2,608,927 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,196,232 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 42.5% of the population has received at least one dose and 35.8% have completed vaccination.An estimated 40.8% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 39.3%, Clay County is at 33.1%, Cass County is at 33.4% and Platte County is at 28.6%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 2,155 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 308 cases a day.State data shows a large increase in cases in Linn and Livingston counties in north-central Missouri with Linn County recording 72 new cases in the past seven days. These two counties have some of the highest rates of infection in the country currently. Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,694 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,460 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,455 cases in Clay County, 7,819 in Cass County and 3,342 in Platte County. 8 a.m.– Officials with the University of Kansas Health System said doctors at the University of Kansas Hospital are currently treating six active infections, including one patient in the ICU. The hospital said it is treating 10 total COVID-19 patients with four listed in the recovery phase. Doctors said they have not had any inpatient COVID-19 deaths since May 23.[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ][ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ] WEDNESDAY3:45 p.m. — A union representing Missouri state workers is urging Gov. Mike Parson to make accommodations for state workers ordered last month to return to their offices, calling the directive “dangerous.” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Natashia Pickens, president of the Missouri State Workers Union Communications Workers of America Local 6355, wrote to Parson on Wednesday. The letter says COVID-19 is still “raging” across the state and that Parson’s office failed to take into account health or child care concerns.The union asked that Parson, a Republican, consider demands that include paid time off to get vaccinated, personal protective equipment for employees, and that the state set up a process so workers with family and child care responsibilities may request a delayed return.Thirty-one House Democrats signed onto the letter.Parson in May directed all state employees to return to in-person work after many spent most of the previous 14 months working remotely. He cited declining cases of COVID-19.12:15 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 401 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since Monday, pushing the statewide total to 315,500 since the outbreak started.KDHE reported three new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,103. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 26 to 10,849 since the start of the outbreak.State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 15 cases.The overall monthly positivity is at 2.7% for June 2021 to date, slightly down from last month according to the KDHE. That number is still down from a high of 16.5% in November.The state also said it has vaccinated 1,251,351 people, 2,239,602 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 43% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose.[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 59,373 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 57,512. Wyandotte County is third with 20,777 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,274 cases, Douglas County reports 8,941 and Miami County has 2,781.Health officials said they’re now monitoring 33 outbreak clusters. A total of 1,518 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 24 hospitalizations and 14 deaths.8:30 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 514,236 on Wednesday, which is an increase of 378 cases. The state also reported there have been 89,457 (+266) possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,193 (+4) deaths since the start of the outbreak.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 4.8%, according to the MDHSS. That number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,633,414 vaccine doses, 2,602,226 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,185,384 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 42.4% of the population has received at least one dose and 35.6% have completed vaccination.An estimated 40.6% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 39.1%, Clay County is at 33%, Cass County is at 33.4% and Platte County is at 28.5%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 1,864 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 266 cases a day.State data shows a large increase in cases in Linn and Livingston counties in north-central Missouri with Livingston County recording 45 new cases in the past seven days. These two counties have some of the highest rates of infection in the country currently. Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,678 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,451 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,450 cases in Clay County, 7,816 in Cass County and 3,340 in Platte County. [ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ][ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ] TUESDAY7:45 p.m. — The De Soto school district has updated its COVID-19 face mask policy that makes the wearing of them optional with some exceptions.The district said it will encourage students and staff to wear face masks while inside USD 232 buildings. Masks are optional outdoors. Officials said face masks may be required in some indoor settings. READ MORE.8:30 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 513,858 on Tuesday. The state also reported there have been 89,191 possible antigen cases to date.The state said there have now been 9,189 deaths since the start of the outbreak.The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 4.7%, according to the MDHSS. That number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.The state said it has administered 4,616,538 vaccine doses, 2,595,622 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,173,430 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 42.3% of the population has received at least one dose and 35.4% have completed vaccination. These numbers remain unchanged from Monday.An estimated 40.5% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 39%, Clay County is at 32.9%, Cass County is at 33.3% and Platte County is at 28.4%.[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.The state reported there have been 1,783 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 255 cases a day – a large jump from Monday. State data shows a large increase in cases in Linn and Livingston counties in north-central Missouri. These two counties have some of the highest rates of infection in the country currently. Click here to read more. Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,664 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,429 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,442 cases in Clay County, 7,808 in Cass County and 3,336 in Platte County.[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ][ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ] The Associated Press contributed to this story.