Coronavirus update: Health officials say the pandemic could peak in Kansas in April
The number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in the Kansas City area continued to rise Friday as Kansas health officials predicted an April peak for the virus and area governments took unprecedented action to stem the spread of the virus.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced Friday afternoon that 34 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed, bringing the state’s total to 203.
Missouri health officials reported that 670 cases had been confirmed, up 168 from Thursday. In Kansas City, officials on Friday afternoon said 77 cases have been confirmed in the city, an increase of 19 from the day before.
Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, on Friday predicted cases of the virus will peak in the state in mid-to-late April.
He also suggested that a recent uptick of people seeking medical care for flu-like symptoms could actually be cases of coronavirus.
Data from KDHE show reported cases of influenza-like illness surging in Kansas over the past few days. Previously, cases had been falling since mid-February.
“It’s probably the coronavirus. We’re digging into this,” Norman said.
Norman said modeling shows the Kansas City metro area will only be short 35 ICU beds if the virus peaks on April 24.
“Thirty-five we can absorb in the system,” he said.
According to data released Friday, at least 27 of those infected in Kansas have been hospitalized and four have died. The fourth death, a man in his 80s, was announced in Wyandotte County on Friday morning
The state reported 43 cases in Wyandotte County and 66 in Johnson County, where the virus is most widespread in the state. Eight Kansas counties saw their first confirmed cases, according to data maintained by the state health department.
Nearly 3,500 people in Kansas have been tested for the virus; 6% of them had the virus, the data showed.
Norman shared Friday that his family has been affected by the virus.
“My son lives in Brooklyn, New York, and he has coronavirus,” Norman said.
He said his son is on day five of the illness and is doing fine.
“They don’t even test anybody now because they all have it,” Norman said of New York. “Anybody that’s sick has coronavirus.”
Friday, the state health department added Colorado and Louisiana to a list of states where the disease is so widespread that any Kansan should self-quarantine for 14 days if they have returned from travel there.
The Johnson County District Court announced Friday that all hearings would be held remotely starting Monday.
In Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson announced Friday morning that he had mobilized the state’s National Guard to help with response to the rapidly spreading virus.
The National Guard will define priorities and help coordinate the state’s response while providing health and safety training to those already mobilized, a news release said.
“Mobilizing the National Guard will help us provide more immediate resources to our citizens and enhance Missouri’s ability to overcome this global pandemic,” Parson said in the release.
Also in response to rising concerns about the virus, the Jackson County jail released 80 inmates in the past week, Sheriff Darryl Forte said.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office said it is preparing a second list of cases for judges to review in an effort to keep inmates healthy in the overcrowded jail.
On the other side of the state, four residents and two workers at a St. Louis nursing home tested positive for COVID-19. The home is run by the same company that owns the Washington state nursing home where 37 people have died and one in Kansas City, Kansas, which accounted for Kansas’ first coronavirus death.
In Missouri, 9 deaths have been reported.
The United States surpassed China and Italy on Thursday to lead the world in number of confirmed cases of the rapidly spreading virus.
Friday afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $2 trillion stimulus package to address the economic impact of the pandemic which has infected over 94,000 Americans according to a database managed by Johns Hopkins University in New York.
The Associated Press and The Star’s Katie Moore, Laura Bauer and Cortlynn Stark contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Coronavirus update: Health officials say the pandemic could peak in Kansas in April."
