Third coronavirus death reported in Johnson County, bringing Kansas total to 9
A third person in Johnson County has died from the new coronavirus, officials reported Tuesday.
The county also said the number of positive coronavirus cases has risen to 127, up from 116 Monday. Johnson County has been the hardest-hit in terms of its number of patients.
On Monday, the Board of County Commissioners agreed to spend $400,000 on additional tests.
Nine deaths have been reported in Kansas including four in Wyandotte County, one in Shawnee County and one in Crawford County.
In Johnson County, a Lenexa man in his 70s died March 21 and a woman in her 90s died Saturday.
Because of statewide shortages, the Kansas health department is only testing Johnson County residents who are high-risk and need to be hospitalized. But county health officials argue limiting testing will make it more difficult to get a clear picture of how the virus is spreading in the community.
The state said March 18 that community transmission was present in Johnson County.
As of Tuesday, Wyandotte County has recorded 75 cases.
More than 368 people in Kansas have contracted the virus.
According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 165,000 people in the U.S. have contracted the coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 11:57 AM.
