KC metro adds more than 400 COVID-19 cases Tuesday, but hospitalization rate improves
The Kansas City metropolitan area added more than 400 new COVID-19 cases as experts said the hospitalization rate appears to be declining.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas gained 407 new cases for a total of 20,888 cases.
The seven-day rolling average for new cases was 438. One week ago, it was 488. Two weeks ago, it was 362.
The University of Kansas Health System was treating 27 patients for the virus on Tuesday, a decrease of three from Monday.
Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, said the metro saw a peak in hospitalizations seven to 10 days ago, but the rate appears to be dropping.
The average number of inpatients at the health system’s hospital was 31 during April and 18 in June.
During the first two weeks of July, it was 23 and then it rose to 37 in the latter part of the month.
One new death was reported in the metro Tuesday, in Kansas City, bringing the area’s total to 330.
Missouri reported 54,080 cases including 1,266 deaths. The positive test rate was 7.2%.
Kansas, which last updated its numbers Monday, has at least 28,876 cases including 365 deaths. The positive test rate was 9.6%.
Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said the state is adding more cases, with a daily average of about 360.
“But the overall 14-day trend line is getting a little better, hospitalization rate’s getting better, and the death rate is getting better,” Norman said during a briefing with the University of Kansas Health System. “So I think that people are taking masks a little bit more seriously. Now some areas don’t take it seriously at all, but I think on balance, once we get a little bit further into August, I think we’re going to see some improvements.”
Nationwide, more than 4.7 million people have contracted the virus and more than 156,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
