Kansas Governor Laura Kelly made an impassioned plea with state residents Friday to embrace COVID-19 mitigation strategies and vaccinations as the recent spike in cases continues.
During a special news conference, Friday morning from Saint Lukes Hospital in Kansas City the governor addressed a number of topics from hospital and ICU capacity in the state, to misinformation on the pandemic and the potential for spread of the virus in Kansas schools. The governor stated that at this time, COVID-19 cases are “more rampant today than they were before the vaccine was available.”
According to the governor, ICUs at “six of the largest hospitals in Kansas” are currently at full capacity with two-thirds of the beds filled with COVID-19 patients.
While numbers are on a significant rise, the governor says, “fortunately though we are not at the point of no return.” The governor went on to say that “armed with the COVID-19 vaccine, we can stop the delta variant before it overwhelms our state.”
The governor also addressed individuals who have expressed “hesitation” towards the vaccine saying she puts much of the blame for that hesitation on “blatantly false information.”
Kelly eventually moved to the topic of COVID-19 prevention in schools. During her comments, Kelly stated the recent number of coronavirus cases has included younger individuals than the original wave of infections.
While she did not issue a mandate, the governor did insist that all school districts across the state of Kansas look to institute a mask mandate of their own to keep students safe and in school.
Governor Kelly concluded her prepared statements by saying, “this moment is urgent Kansas, we do not have to relive the days of uncertainty we faced a year ago. The tools we need to protect our hospitals, to protect our children and to return to normal are readily available to us. We have a vaccine, our economy is strong and with a commitment from every Kansan, we can get this done.”
You can view the news conference in its entirety on Governor Kelly’s official Facebook page.
