KC metro adds 76 new COVID-19 cases as officials in Wyandotte County express concern
Health officials in Wyandotte County say they are concerned about the rising number of new coronavirus cases in the past week.
Wyandotte County had 15 of the metro’s 76 new cases Tuesday.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas has had a total of 5,821 cases, including 205 deaths.
No new deaths were reported Tuesday.
Elizabeth Groenweghe, Wyandotte County’s chief epidemiologist, said the health department has tracked the seven-day rolling averages of positive cases.
“Before we went into Phase 3 of reopening on June 8, our rolling averages of positive cases had begun to stabilize,” she said in a news release. “However over the past week, we have seen those averages start to go up, which is concerning.”
Phase 3 allows gatherings of up to 45 people, normal staffing at businesses and nonessential travel.
Chief medical officer Allen Greiner said people have been eager to get back to a sense of normalcy and began relaxing safety measures.
“We understand that being under public health restrictions has been difficult for everyone, but COVID-19 is still very much a threat to our community,” he said.
The county will remain in Phase 3 of its reopening until at least June 22. If a large spike occurs, the county may have to consider going back to more restrictive rules, Greiner said.
Officials urged people in public to wear a mask, engage in social distancing and frequently wash their hands.
Free testing is available to people who live or work in Wyandotte County. More information can be found at wycokck.org/COVID-19.
The percent of people who have tested positive is far higher in Wyandotte County than other parts of the metro at 15.5%.
It is 5.28% in Kansas City, 4.87% in Jackson County, 7.2% in Clay County and 3.7% in Johnson County. Platte County does not provide this figure.
Missouri reported 16,417 cases, including 612 people who were hospitalized Tuesday, and 882 deaths.
Kansas has at least 11,419 cases, including a total of 988 hospitalizations, and 245 deaths.
Nationwide, more than 2.1 million people have contracted the virus and 116,700 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
