COVID-19 cases rise as KC metro reopens. Experts explain what’s behind the numbers
The Kansas City metro area saw a record number of new COVID-19 cases four days last week, a rise the Kansas City Health Department was caused by “carelessness, apathy, contempt, ignorance.”
The metro area, consisting of Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, saw a record number of new cases on June 23 with 174. That record was broken the next two days when there were 194 and 227 new daily cases. On Sunday, the tally hit 246.
On Monday, 149 new cases and three more deaths were reported. The seven-day average for new cases is 194. One week ago, it was 119. On June 1, it was 69.
Before June, the metro had three days when there were more than 100 new cases. This month, there have been 15 days with more than 100 new cases and three days with more than 200.
Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System attributed a rising number of new cases to reopening and said that the demographics of people who are getting infected are changing compared to earlier stages of the pandemic.
“This is likely what we’ve been talking about, that as we reopen, as people interact more, as physical distancing becomes harder in certain circumstances, that we would see the spread of the virus,” said David Wild, vice president of performance improvement at the University of Kansas Health System.
Kansas City Health Department spokeswoman Michelle Pekarsky said outbreaks have been linked to birthday parties, funerals, recycling centers, warehouses, restaurants, group homes and nursing homes.
“Basically, consider no place untouched,” she said in an email.
Several Kansas City restaurants, including Ragazza Food & Wine, Trezo Mare Restaurant, Port Fonda and Up-Down have had to temporarily close after potential exposures. The health department said it respected businesses for being forthcoming and taking action to protect their employees and patrons.
Allen Greiner, chief medical officer in Wyandotte County, said relaxed restrictions over the past month were largely to blame for the increase in cases.
In addition to social distancing challenges at work or in living environments, Greiner said, “people are very fatigued with all the restrictions, and have been craving a sense of normalcy, which has led to people getting more lax in taking precautions against COVID-19.”
Edward Ellerbeck, chair of population health at the University of Kansas Health System, said about half of Kansas’ cases in the first three months of the virus were occurring in institutions where it was difficult to socially isolate, including nursing homes, meatpacking plants and prisons.
“Now we’re seeing a much younger population, people who may have socially isolated during the last three months are now out, so I think we have an epidemic, so to speak, in a different group,” he said.
Last week, about 75% of the patients coming to the hospital with symptoms were under the age of 50.
“That’s very different from early on in the pandemic,” Wild said.
Pekarsky said those 35 and younger are more likely to be infected, but show no symptoms, and therefore are more likely to spread the virus. The health department has seen “a substantial increase in 20-30s and 30s to 40s,” she said.
The two age groups make up 43% of the city’s cases, according to data from the health department.
In Wyandotte County, people in their 20s, 30s and 40s make up more than half of the positive cases. Greiner said that is in part due to to outbreaks at worksites, especially in environments where social distancing is difficult.
According to the county, outbreaks have been identified at workplaces including a supermarket, an auto plant, a bakery, a veterinary supply company and a beef processor, among other businesses.
Additionally, across the metro, the number of people who were symptomatic and needing a test increased “pretty dramatically from previous weeks,” Wild said.
While the number of new cases is impacted by the number of tests, the positivity rate was also higher than the past few weeks, Wild said.
Three weeks ago, on June 8, the positive rate was 4.01% in Kansas City, 3.81% in Jackson County, 2.3% in Clay County, 3.9% in Johnson County and 15.7% in Wyandotte County. Platte County does not provide this data.
On Monday, it was 5.63% in Kansas City, 5.14% in Jackson County, 3.5% in Clay County, 4.3% in Johnson County and 15.5% in Wyandotte County.
Experts at the health system urged the public to help slow the spread by engaging in social distancing, practicing good hand hygiene and wearing masks.
On Monday, a mandate requiring people in Kansas City to wear masks went into effect.
The Kansas City Health Department said on day one of the rule, the city has received complaints and will follow up with each of them.
“If people outright refuse to comply, we will do an inspection and may issue a closure if they still do not comply,” director Rex Archer said.
Wyandotte County in Kansas and Jackson County in Missouri have followed suit with mandates starting Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday she will order people to wear face masks in public spaces statewide starting Friday.
Ellerbeck said several studies have shown that masks reduce the transfer of the virus and that ordinances requiring mask have made a difference.
“It’s not really about control, but about how we take care of each other,” Wild added.
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 3:52 PM.
