Kansas City metro surpasses 100 coronavirus deaths, adds more than 40 new cases
More than 100 people in the Kansas City metropolitan area have died from the new coronavirus, according to data released by health officials Tuesday afternoon.
Johnson County added five deaths, bringing the metro’s total to 101. The area includes Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, and Kansas City, Jackson County, Clay County and Platte County in Missouri.
The two Kansas counties account for the vast majority of the metro’s deaths, with 35 in Johnson County and 44 in Wyandotte County.
The metro had 1,622 cases of COVID-19 with 41 new cases added Tuesday.
“At this point, we probably have bent the curve a little bit into the way we wanted it to go,” said Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Kansas Health System.
Each day the number of known cases increases as more people are tested. More testing will be available this week in Kansas City and Wyandotte County.
In Kansas City, Truman Medical Center partnered with several churches in the urban core and recently launched pop-up test clinics.
Patients will need to call 816-404-2273 to speak with a nurse who will discuss any symptoms and provide the best location to receive the testing, said Leslie Carto, a spokeswoman for Truman Medical Centers.
Testing will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Morning Star Baptist Church, 2411 E. 27th Street.
On Wednesday, an on-site clinic will be open from noon to 4 p.m. in the parking lot at St. James United Methodist Church, 5540 Wayne Avenue.
A pop-up clinic will be held Friday at Second Baptist Church at 39th Street and Askew Avenue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In Kansas City, Kansas, drive-up or walk-up testing is available from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the United Government health office at 619 Ann Street.
Kansas reported 2,025 cases Tuesday including 107 deaths. Missouri said it had 5,941 cases including 189 deaths. Missouri has reported more cases than Kansas, and has tested more people.
Nationwide, more than 810,000 people have contracted the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
