COVID-19 news: KC region a ‘location to watch’ with two of nation’s largest clusters
The Kansas City region is home to two of the largest clusters of coronavirus cases in the United States, according to an analysis of outbreaks across the country.
Among the top U.S. clusters of the virus, Lansing Correctional Facility is the 13th biggest while the Triumph Foods meat processing facility in St. Joseph is the 20th largest, according to data maintained by The New York Times.
In part because of such outbreaks, federal documents obtained by NBC News and published Monday evening identified Kansas City as a “location to watch” for increasing coronavirus cases.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany confirmed the authenticity of the documents, adding that they did not originate from the White House but rather the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She said the documents showed “isolated outbreaks” in the Midwest in prisons or meatpacking facilities.
At the Lansing prison, 728 residents have tested positive including three who died. Eighty-eight staff members have contracted the virus and one has died. George Robare had worked for the Department of Corrections for more than 35 years, his wife Susan Robare told The Star.
A group of Kansas inmates who argued that their imprisonment during the COVID-19 pandemic violated their constitutional rights will remain in prison after a judge dismissed a lawsuit brought on their behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Leavenworth County District Judge David King ruled the eight inmates had failed to prove the Kansas Department of Corrections didn’t provide adequate medical care or acted with deliberate difference to their medical needs.
At one pork processing facility, Triumph Foods in St. Joseph, 412 of 2,367 workers had the virus despite showing no symptoms. One worker has died.
Residents across the metro, in Wyandotte County and Kansas City, were among the infected workers from the plant.
The metro has recorded 150 deaths since the first death was announced March 12 in Wyandotte County. A total of 3,038 cases have been identified in the metro.
One of the deaths was Kansas City nurse Celia Yap-Banago, whose family filed a workers compensation claim against the hospital where she worked, their attorneys announced Tuesday.
The compensation filing says that Yap-Banago, 69, died as a result of her work at Research Medical Center and that “despite her requests, she was not given proper PPE.”
Missouri surpassed 10,000 cases on Tuesday when 10,006 cases were reported. Of those, 524 people have died. A total of 124,006 people have been tested.
Kansas has at least 7,116 cases including 158 deaths. Another 46,993 tests were negative.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 12:16 PM.
