Kansas reports 284 more coronavirus cases Sunday, and three more deaths
More than 280 additional cases of the new coronavirus were identified in Kansas Sunday and three more deaths were reported, according to the state health department.
The additional 284 cases brought the statewide total to 5,030 infections and 134 deaths, according to the latest statistics, provided at 9 a.m. by the Kansas Department of Health and the Environment. At least 547 people have been admitted to a hospital.
On Saturday, 234 cases were added. The highest number of cases added in a single day came on Wednesday, with 444.
With 30,872 negative tests returned, the figures show Kansas residents are testing positive at a rate of 14%. That’s an increase from recent weeks when residents were testing positive at rates of about 12%. Before that, testing rates were at 10% or lower.
As of Sunday, the state ranked second to last ahead of Arizona in per capita testing of its residents, according to the Coronavirus API Public Health Initiative, which gathers data from state health websites. Kansas had previously ranked last.
An additional 64 cases were reported in Wyandotte County Sunday, bringing the total to 826 cases, according to health officials. The county’s death count remained at 55 Sunday, according to county health officials. Thirty-four patients were hospitalized.
One more death and eleven additional cases were reported in neighboring Johnson County on Sunday. The county now totals 498 cases, according to state data, and 42 deaths, according to the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment.
Johnson County has the third-highest number of cases in the state. The county has reported 6,316 negative test results returned.
Of those diagnosed in Johnson County, 144 have required hospitalization, according to county data. Fifty-two have required ICU care.
Johnson County hospital beds remained at about 87% capacity as of Saturday, a slight increase from the week prior. As of Saturday afternoon, 126 of the county’s 252 ICU beds were available.
Gov. Laura Kelly will allow some Kansas businesses to reopen beginning Monday as part of the start of a four-phase reopening plan, provided they maintain social distancing and limit crowds to fewer than 10 people.
Johnson and Wyandotte counties will begin phased reopenings of their economies on May 11, four days earlier than originally planned.
The United States surpassed 1,143,000 confirmed cases and more than 66,700 deaths reported as of 1:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a database maintained by Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there were more than 3,483,000 cases and more than 246,000 deaths.
This story was originally published May 3, 2020 at 2:37 PM.
