Kansas City metro adds nearly 700 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths on Friday
Nearly 700 more COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths were identified Friday in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri, as well as Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, gained 695 cases for a total of 51,938.
Johnson County had 287 new cases, the most reported in a single day, according to the county health department.
“We are getting into very dangerous territory. Infections are spiking at a very rapid rate,” director Sanmi Areola said. “This is putting our residents at risk. And rhetoric around herd immunity and deliberate infections, masks don’t work, and other inaccurate information, is hurting our efforts to contain the spread of this virus.”
The seven-day average for new cases in the metro rose again. On Friday, it was 497. One week ago, it was 364. Two weeks ago, it was 433. The average peaked at 507 on July 30.
Six of the recent deaths were in Kansas City. Three were in Jackson County and two were in Johnson County. The metro has recorded 773 deaths. More than 25% of those were reported in October, according to data maintained by The Star.
The number of average deaths per day in the U.S. has increased 10% over the past two weeks, the Associated Press reported. New infections are rising in 47 states.
Across the country, more than 9 million people have contracted the virus and 229,293 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The University of Kansas Health System reported 37 patients hospitalized for the virus, down three from Thursday’s high of 40.
“I do think as the cases rise in Kansas City and hospitals get closer to capacity, that we really are going to have to reexamine some of the infection prevention control measures,” said Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the health system.
“We know how to bend the curve. We know how to make sure people stay safe and I think we’re going to have to take a hard look at every aspect of that.”
The seven-day positive test rate was 19.52% in Kansas City, 22.48% in Jackson County, 19.18% in Clay County and 19.06% in Platte County.
The 14-day positive test rate, excluding repeat tests, was 15.8% in Johnson County.
The overall rate in Wyandotte County was 17.5%.
On Friday, Missouri confirmed 180,200 cases including 2,925 deaths. The seven-day positive test rate, excluding repeat tests, was 26%, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said.
Kansas identified 85,181 cases including 1,029 deaths. There are currently 512 hospitalizations and 261 active clusters, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 3:25 PM.
