Kansas City metro area adds most new daily COVID-19 cases since late August

The Kansas City metropolitan area added 456 COVID-19 cases on Friday, the largest daily increase in confirmed cases since Aug. 26, when the number increased by 474.

One new death was reported in the metro area, in Johnson County, raising the total to 504.

The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas has recorded a total of 35,992 coronavirus cases.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases in the metro is 298. A week ago, the average was 277. Two weeks ago, it was 317.

On Friday, Wyandotte County health officials announced those who either live or work there can be tested for COVID-19 for free, even if they do not have symptoms or have not been exposed to the coronavirus, according to health officials.

Testing had previously been limited to people with symptoms or people who had been exposed to the virus. The new testing eligibility goes into effect Monday.

This weekend thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts are expected to make their way to the Lake of the Ozarks for the 14th annual Bikefest Lake of the Ozarks. More than 100,000 visitors may attend the event, according to local officials.

Missouri reported 110,129 cases to date on Friday, including 1,780 deaths. The seven-day positive test rate was 11.7%.

In Kansas, 52,285 total cases and 596 deaths have been reported. The positive test rate for the month is 7.5%. There have been 1,415 new cases and 10 new deaths reported in Kansas since Wednesday.

On Thursday, the Johnson County Commission narrowly voted to uphold the county’s mask order and the Kansas City Health Department announced that one of the Chiefs fans in attendance at the Sept. 10 home opener had tested positive for COVID-19.

Nationwide, the virus has infected more than 6.7 million people, killing more than 198,000 according to Johns Hopkins University.

This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 4:22 PM.