Independence city and community leaders called in for a weekly pandemic update call Thursday, as the pace of calls to Indy EMS picks back up due to holiday fallout. Assistant City Manager David Cowan said that calls to the EMS service have picked back up over the last 48 hours, with nearly every call concerning COVID-19. The increased number of calls is assumed to be related to the Thanksgiving holiday, when many people got together for large gatherings.

USD 446 Superintendent Rusty Arnold shared that the high school has transitioned to remote learning for the rest of the week, due to the previously reported 15 positive cases and the subsequent quarantining of over 180 students. Arnold said high schoolers are social beings, and that it is difficult to manage their behavior and keep them from spreading the virus.  However, the impact on the K-8 schools has been minimal, with only one or two cases being reported at a time.

Area health care workers are receiving COVID vaccinations this week, but there is still "no definite information" on when the vaccine will be available to the public. Health care leaders predict that will come in spring 2021.