‘The virus is still there’: More than 45 new COVID-19 cases reported in KC metro
The Kansas City metropolitan area reported 46 new cases of the coronavirus Thursday and one new death.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas has had 3,132 cases since the first positive test was announced on March 7.
The area confirmed 48 new cases on Wednesday.
Of the jurisdictions, Kansas City saw the highest increase of new cases Thursday with 30. It also had one more death.
A total of 153 people in the metro have died from COVID-19.
Wyandotte County’s count rose by six while Johnson County’s increased by one. Numbers for those two counties were obtained from the county health departments since the Kansas Department of Health and Environment stopped providing daily updates on cases this week.
Restrictions in Kansas City will be further lifted Friday. Restaurants can resume dine-in services as long as tables are 10 feet apart.
Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said personal responsibility will help mitigate the risk of the virus’ spread.
“As we begin to open up society, how we act will define us,” he said. “The virus is still there, we still have patients in the hospital. I’m sure they’d be happy to tell you it’s still very real. We still get admissions and unfortunately, we still see people die. ... You know, this is hard.”
Health officials have urged the public to continue social distancing, washing their hands and wearing a mask.
“Define the course of this virus by staying safe,” Stites said.
Missouri reported 10,142 cases including 542 deaths. A total of 126,935 patients have been tested.
As of Wednesday, 7,468 cases have been confirmed in Kansas including 164 deaths. Another 50,160 tests have been negative.
More than 1.4 million people in the U.S. have contracted the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 3:37 PM.
