‘Dangerous territory’: Johnson County reports record number of COVID-19 cases Friday
Johnson County health officials reported 287 new COVID-19 cases Friday, the highest number of confirmed infections in a single day so far in the pandemic.
The county also reported two additional deaths. There have been a total of 203 deaths reported in Johnson County, according to health officials.
Community spread is on the rise, putting people at risk for serious complications that can result in hospitalization and death, according to a statement released Friday by the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment.
Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of the county health department, said the spread of misinformation about ways to combat the virus was a significant factor in the rise in cases.
“We are getting into very dangerous territory,” Areola said. “Infections are spiking at a very rapid rate.
“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.”
Johnson County reported a total of 1,024 new infections this week, with one more day to go. The most infections previously reported in a week was 810 the week of July 12-18.
The 14-day positive test rate, excluding repeat tests, was 15.8% in Johnson County.
The 14-day moving average for confirmed cases in the county was 132. The number of people who have recovered from the virus has reached 11,348, including 83 more reported Thursday.
Also on Friday, nearly 700 more COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths were identified 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.
The University of Kansas Health System reported 37 patients hospitalized for the virus, down three from Thursday’s high of 40.
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.
More than 9 million people have contracted COVID-19 and 229,293 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Star’s Katie Moore contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 6:01 PM.
