KIRX News

The Adair County Health Department will administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine curbside from 2-6 p.m., this Wednesday, at the Health Department facility in Kirksville. The effort is open to all individuals age 18 and older who live or work in Missouri and who have not yet received a vaccine. The Moderna vaccine requires two doses. This event will be for the initial administration of the Moderna vaccine only. The second dose will be administered May 26, at the same scheduled time as recipients receive the first dose on Wednesday. Regsiter by using the Sign-Up Genius link on the Adair County Health Department website homepage or Facebook page. Those who don’t have internet access may register by calling 660-730-6100 or 660-730-6200.

A man was killed in a crash in Putnam County. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 21-year old Max Kenworthy, of Unionville, was driving on U.S. Highway 136, 12 miles west of Unionville at around 4:30 Saturday morning, when he ran off the right side of the road, overcorrected and began skidding and ran off the left side of the road and overturned. Kenworthy was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally lifted its pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after a panel on Friday recommended resuming its use , despite a very rare risk of blood clots. Out of nearly 8 million people vaccinated before the U.S. suspended J&J’s shot, health officials uncovered 15 cases of a highly unusual kind of blood clot, three of them fatal. All were women, and most younger than 50. The panel said Friday that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the serious but small risk. In Missouri, providers with the J&J vaccine in stock can immediately begin administering it and shipments from the federal government will resume this week.

The Adair County Health Department confirmed four new cases of COVID-19 Friday and identified three old cases in the ongoing audit of state records. The total case count is now 2,437. There are 14 active cases. New cases include females age 20 and 38 and males age 14 and 19. One case each is in the K-12 schools, higher education, and meat processing plant sectors. One resides at an address
with at least one previously confirmed case. The three cases identified in the audit include a 56-year-old female who tested positive in November, and a 71-year-old female and 59-year-old male who tested positive in December.

Starting Saturday, you should use the full 10-digit number to dial local calls within some area codes, including the 660 area code in Missouri, according to guidance from the state. Providers across the country have agreed on April 24 as a soft launch for the effort aimed at transitioning callers in preparation for the introduction of 988 as a nationwide 3-digit emergency number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. That means that callers cannot make a local 7-digit call to a number beginning with the 988 prefix, which affects 83 area codes across 37 states. In Missouri, the affected area codes are 314, 417, 660 and 816. Everyone in those area codes will be required to dial the 10-digit number for local calls in order to be connected starting in October. Local calls made with 7 digits will still be connected as usual until October 24, but people in the affected area codes are asked to start getting into the new habit starting April 24th.

A juvenile and an adult were injured in a collision in Scotland County. The crash happened around 5 p.m. Wednesday on Route Z, eight miles north of Arbela. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol report, a 2018 Cheverolet Silverado was southbound on Route Z, crossed the center line and struck a northbound 2006 Dodge Ram, nearly head on. The 17-year-old male driver in the Silverado had moderate injuries and was taken by Scotland County Ambulance to Blessing Hospital. The driver in the Dodge Ram, 63-year-old Lyle Seaver, was seriously injured and was taken to the hospital by Air Evac.

Putnam County is participating in the DEA’s 20th Annual Drug Take Back Day, which allows residents to safely dispose of expired, unwanted, and unused prescription medications. Locally, citizens can take their prescription medications to the Putnam County Sheriff’s office and dispose of them in a locked box. No appointment is needed, no paperwork has to be completed. At its last Take Back Day in October, DEA collected a record-high amount of close to 500 tons of unwanted drugs.

The state’s health director resigned yesterday amid the state’s coronavirus vaccine rollout. Governor Mike Parson made the announcement yesterday and did not provide a reason for the departure of Health and Senior Services Director Dr. Randall Williams. Parson named his deputy chief of staff, Robert Knodell, to be the agency’s acting director. Parson thanked Williams for all the work he has done for the people of Missouri and wished him the best in his future endeavors.

The Adair County Health Department’s Mask Order – which applies to all of Adair County, including the City of Kirksville – is scheduled to expire May 1. The City of Kirksville would like to remind residents that while the Mask Order is scheduled to expire, private entities, including local businesses and workplaces, are not prohibited from establishing – and enforcing – their own rules regarding masks / face coverings, social distancing, etc. The City asks that residents and visitors be respectful of these rules as we all work to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Adair County Health Department will administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine curbside this Friday, at the Health Department facility in Kirksville. The effort is open to all individuals age 18 and older who live or work in Missouri and who have not yet received a vaccine. These doses are for the initial administration of the Moderna vaccine only, which requires two doses. The second dose will be administered May 21, at the same scheduled time as recipients receive the first dose on April 23. If you will be unable to appear at the same location for your second dose on May 21, the health department asks that you do not sign up for Friday’s event. Residents interested in receiving the vaccine should sign up using the Sign-Up Genius link on the Adair County Health Department website homepage or Facebook page. Those who do not have internet access may register by calling 660-730-6100 or 660-730-6200.