Key metrics show number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Missouri on the decline
The number of people being hospitalized in Missouri for COVID-19 has declined considerably in the past month, according to state data.
On May 5, 986 patients were in the hospital. By June 5, that number had dropped to 610, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The number of hospitalizations is an important metric in tracking the coronavirus because it is not impacted by testing, public health experts said.
It is one of three pieces of data officials said were important in understanding the course of the virus and the effectiveness of guidelines implemented as businesses and other public spaces reopen.
In interviews, Jennifer Tolbert, a director of state health reform at the Kaiser Family Foundation, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Lee Norman, Kansas Health Institute Senior Analyst Charles Hunt and Enid Schatz the chair of the University of Missouri’s Public Health department, pointed to hospitalizations as a key metric, along with the rate of new cases and the percent of people who test positive.
Kansas does not provide daily hospitalization numbers. Instead it provides the cumulative number of hospitalizations, of which there have been 954.
It also tracks the number of new hospital admissions. There were six on both June 4 and 5, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s most recent data.
Some Kansas and Missouri state data is limited in scope as it has not been updated this week.
Nationwide, 21 states had higher rolling seven-day averages of new cases compared to the previous week, the Associated Press found.
That has caused some worry as more states lift restrictions. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he will allow a statewide order on social distancing to expire next week. Local governments will still be able to authorize their own measures.
The Kansas City metro area has had six days of increases of more than 100 new cases this month. Before June, there were three days where more than 100 new cases were identified, according to data maintained by The Star.
New cases
The seven-day average for new cases in Kansas has steadily decreased. On May 9, it sat at 295. One month later it was 103.
The same appears to be true in Missouri, though the drop has not been as drastic. On May 6, the seven-day average for new cases was 261. On June 6, it was 181.
While the cumulative number of cases will continue to rise until a vaccine is developed and distributed, a decrease in the number of new cases indicates the virus is spreading more slowly.
Positivity rate
The postive test rate has also dipped in Kansas and Missouri.
On June 9 in Kansas, the rate was 5.35%, down from 9.08% one month ago.
On June 4 in Missouri, the rate was 2.54%, down from 7.45% one month ago.
Jennifer Tolbert, a director of state health reform at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said ideally the rate should be 3% or lower.
The number can provide an idea of who is able to obtain a test in a given area.
With expanded testing, Tolbert said, the percent of positive tests should decrease because more asymptomatic people are tested for the virus.
In Kansas, at least 10,812 people have contracted the virus including 240 people who have died.
In Missouri, 15,390 cases have been confirmed including 860 deaths.
On Thursday, the U.S. surpassed two million coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 113,000 people have died.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 4:41 PM.
