Live blog: MO governor postpones all events this week

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — We have been tracking the spread of COVID-19 in the Kansas City area since the start of the pandemic.

Whether it's stories about how we bounce back through our Rebound KC effort, important information as school resumes or critical information about the November election, trust 41 Action News to keep you informed.

Businesses finding unique ways to serve our community can share ideas and connect on our KC Open for Business Facebook group.

Updates on the spread of the virus and how it is affecting the metro can be found below for Sept. 23.

4 p.m. | Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced Wednesday afternoon, only hours after confirming first lady Teresa Parson had tested positive.

Parson, 65, has displayed no symptoms and feels healthy, while the first lady has minor symptoms. They are currently isolating separately. —AW

2 p.m. | Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has postponed all of his remaining scheduled events for the week, including a flu vaccination, after his wife tested positive for COVID-19. The governor is awaiting his own test results, according to a report. —AW

1:30 p.m. | Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman will hold a briefing at 4 p.m. Wednesday to give an update on COVID-19 in the state. The briefing will be streamed live on the 41 Action News Facebook page. —AW

12:50 p.m. | Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s wife reportedly has tested positive for COVID-19.

Parson’s office confirmed Wednesday to KY3, an NBC affiliate in Springfield, that a rapid COVID-19 test performed on Teresa Parson, the first lady of Missouri, came back positive. —TP

Noon | Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forte' said the jail tested 112 people, including 85 inmates, for COVID-19 on Monday. Nine inmates tested positive, as well as six non-inmates. He said he planned to provide additional updates later Wednesday. —AW

11:55 a.m. | Elton John has rescheduled his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour," which had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the tour will stop in Kansas City at the T-Mobile Center on Feb. 1, 2022. —AW

10:30 a.m. | Johnson & Johnson is beginning a huge final-stage study to try to prove if a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine can protect against the virus.

It will be one of the world’s largest coronavirus vaccine studies so far, testing 60,000 volunteers in the U.S., South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

10:15 a.m. | Health departments in the Kansas City metro have hired additional contact tracers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact tracers generally call people who tested positive for COVID-19 to find out who they’ve been in contact with or who they’ve exposed to the virus. Tracers then call those people to tell them to quarantine and follow procedures to prevent the spread of the virus.

The Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department is hoping to hire an additional 40 contact tracers. —AW

8 a.m. | Officials with the University of Kansas Health System gave an update on COVID-19 operations in the area. —AW

7:45 a.m. | Just starting your day? We’ve got you covered with a quick look at what you need to know. — HG

7 a.m. | The American Red Cross said Wednesday blood donors have another way to help coronavirus patients.

The organization is now conducting secondary testing on all donations that come back positive for COVID-19 antibodies.

Whole blood or platelet donations made at any blood drive or blood donation center may be used to help current COVID-19 patients.

Before the change, the Red Cross was obtaining convalescent plasma only through donations at specific locations. — HG

Previous coverage:
March 2020 updates
April 2020 updates
May 2020 updates
June 2020 updates
July 2020 updates
August 2020 updates
Tuesday, Sept. 22