New coronavirus cases in KC metro surpass 400 as the total figure nears 9,000
For the third time in a week the Kansas City metropolitan area saw record-breaking numbers of new COVID-19 cases Friday with 443 new infections.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas has a total of 8,932 cumulative cases.
There were 246 new cases on Sunday, 149 on Monday, 136 on Tuesday, the most recent record of 307 on Wednesday, and 112 on Thursday.
The seven-day average for new cases is 222. One week ago, it was 154 and two weeks ago, it was 107.
Two new deaths were reported in the area: one each in Jackson and Wyandotte counties.
The increase comes as mask orders officially go into effect across the state of Kansas and as the Fourth of July holiday weekend brings more concerns about large gatherings.
In Twitter post, Thursday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment asked residents to stay outdoors for celebrations when possible, limit group size to 45 and wear face coverings.
As of Friday, Kansas had confirmed 15,919 cases of the virus and 277 deaths. The state has a testing positivity rate of 8.3%, according to KDHE data.
On the other side of the state line, Missouri had confirmed 22,830 cases and 1,026 deaths by Friday. The state has a 5.5% testing positivity rate, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The virus has infected more than 2.7 million people, killing more than 129,000 nationwide, according to a database maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
This story was originally published July 3, 2020 at 5:02 PM.
