Missouri’s COVID-19 data not ‘accurate depiction’ for Kansas City, local officials say

The number of COVID-19 cases reported for Kansas City on the state of Missouri’s new dashboard is not an accurate depiction of the local coronavirus situation, officials say.

Gov. Mike Parson announced the release of the new website Monday.

“We are committed to giving Missourians the most accurate, up-to-date information as possible regarding COVID-19 in our state,” Parson said in a news release.

But data showed Kansas City had 4,852 cases as of Monday — a drop of more than 6,000 from Sunday’s 11,147 cases. Meanwhile Jackson, Clay and Platte counties saw a sharp uptick.

Kansas City’s numbers should include residents within the city regardless of the county they live in, said Kansas City Health Department spokeswoman Michelle Pekarsky.

“There’s a definite problem on the new dashboard,” she said in an email.

The city itself was still reporting cases above 11,000 Monday on its local website.

According to Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the new dashboard is using testing result data so some case numbers shifted from Kansas City to surrounding counties. Previously, case investigation data was used.

“We are aware of the data quality issue and are in the process of integrating our testing result and case investigation databases which should resolve many of these geographic errors through a geocoding process we are able to apply to assign it to the proper county or jurisdiction,” she said.

Kansas City’s numbers should be considered in context with the surrounding counties, Cox said.

Until the jurisdictional issue is fixed, Pekarsky said, the state’s numbers will “not be an accurate depiction of what is happening in Kansas City proper.”

The Clay County Public Health Center said they were aware of the situation and in communication with state officials.

The Platte County Health Department said navigating the city and county lines can mean adjustments need to be made which causes delays in reporting.

Previously, the state’s COVID-19 case data was published on a website maintained by the Department of Health and Senior Services. The new dashboards, which include economic and social data, are published on the Show Me Strong website, which the governor announced this week.

This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 2:20 PM.

Katie Moore

The Kansas City Star

816-234-4312

Katie Moore was an enterprise and accountability reporter for The Star. She covered justice issues, including policing, prison conditions and the death penalty. She is a University of Kansas graduate and began her career as a reporter in 2015 in her hometown of Topeka, Kansas.