Kansas City metro adds more than 400 new COVID-19 cases and eight deaths
The Kansas City metropolitan area added more than 400 new COVID-19 cases as the University of Kansas Health System said it had seen the most virus deaths this month since the beginning of the pandemic.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri, as well as Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, gained 403 coronavirus cases for a total of 48,060 to date.
The seven-day average for new cases was 381, an increase of 65 cases from two weeks ago when it was 316, according to data maintained by The Star.
In Wyandotte County, the average number of new daily cases has been inching up. While that figure peaked in July and dropped, it has increased from about 30 last month to 40 this month, said Unified Government Public Health Department spokeswoman Janell Friesen.
“We want to keep an eye on that — that could be indicative of some increase in community spread,” she said during a news briefing hosted by the University of Kansas Health System.
Health disparities continue to impact people of color in Kansas City, Kansas.
The positive test rate has been as high as 40% among Latinx, Black and refugee communities, said Mariana Ramirez-Mantilia, director of Juntos Center for Advancing Latino Health at KU Medical Center.
Many residents who work in the service sector, construction or the food industry do not have access to paid sick leave, Ramirez-Mantilia said, making it difficult to quarantine for 14 days if exposed to the virus.
The metro has recorded 126 deaths this month, eight of which were reported Thursday. Two were in Kansas City, one was in Jackson County, two were in Johnson County and three were in Wyandotte County, raising the metro’s total to 698.
The University of Kansas Health System said there have been 20 deaths at its hospital from COVID-19 this month.
“That is the most deaths of any month since the pandemic of in-hospital patients so that is really concerning,” said Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. “It’s not just numbers, it’s loved ones and friends, and we’re not even through October yet.”
The health system said 30 patients were hospitalized for the virus.
On Thursday, Missouri confirmed 162,723 cases including 2,657 deaths. The positive test rate, excluding repeat tests, was 21%.
Kansas reported 74,456 cases including 952 deaths. There are currently 329 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 235 active clusters.
Across the country, more than 8.3 million people have contracted the virus and 222,577 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
