Kansas City metro adds nearly 400 new COVID-19 cases, four more deaths reported
The Kansas City metropolitan area added nearly 400 new coronavirus cases Friday, lowering the seven-day average for new cases for the fifth consecutive day.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas added 395 new cases for a total of 22,071.
The metro area added 324 cases Monday, 407 on Tuesday, 392 on Wednesday and 396 on Thursday.
The seven-day average for new cases is 361. One week ago, it was 497. Two weeks ago, it was 438.
Four more area deaths were also reported Friday. Three were in Kansas City and one was in Jackson County, raising the metro’s total to 344.
Health officials said mask mandates have been effective.
“I don’t think there’s any question that it’s slowing down the disease,” said Rex Archer, director of the Kansas City Health Department.
Kansas City’s masking order went into effect June 29.
Archer said it will likely be extended next week and officials are considering requiring masks be worn outside.
David Rubin, director of PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said 33 states have statewide mandates.
“We can certainly drive our case counts down over the next month or two before it gets cold, but I think it all comes down to consistency,” he said.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has made several public appearances without a mask.
“You don’t need government to tell you to wear a dang mask. If you want to wear a dang mask, wear a mask,” Parson said last month.
Rubin said new cases in some parts of the country have slowed in the past few weeks.
“Missouri has not been one of them,” he said.
On the other side of the state line, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Lee Norman said this week that counties requiring masks have a lower rate of new cases.
On Friday, Missouri reported 57,379 cases, including 1,301 deaths. The overall positive test rate was 7.4%, but the seven-day rate was 10.7%.
Kansas confirmed 30,638 cases, including 380 deaths. The positive test rate was 9.7%.
Across the U.S., more than 4.9 million people have contracted the virus and 160,394 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 3:24 PM.
