KC metro adds over 600 COVID-19 cases as 7-day average again climbs to record levels
The seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases continued to climb Wednesday as the Kansas City metropolitan area added more than 625 new cases.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri, as well as Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, gained 626 cases for a total of 55,029.
The seven-day average for new cases hit its highest yet at 632. The average has jumped substantially: One week ago, it was 421. Two weeks ago, it was 485. One month ago, it was 367.
The seven-day positive test rate was 21.95% in Kansas City, 25.93% in Jackson County, 28.65% in Clay County and 24.71% in Platte County, according to data from the state of Missouri.
The 14-day rate in Johnson County, excluding repeat tests, was 18.6%.
The overall rate was 17.6% in Wyandotte County.
Six new deaths were reported Wednesday. Two were in Jackson County, three were in Johnson County and one was in Clay County, raising the metro’s total to 816.
The University of Kansas Health System said its hospital hit a record number of COVID-19 patients with 44. Fifteen of those patients are in the intensive care unit.
“We’ve never had more than probably two or three patients at once in the ICU with influenza,” said Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control.
Hawkinson said the death rate for COVID-19 was 10 to 20 times higher than the flu.
On Wednesday, Kansas reported 92,215 cases including 1,087 deaths. There are currently 567 hospitalizations and 261 active clusters.
Missouri confirmed 193,023 cases including 3,088 deaths. The positive test rate, excluding repeat tests, was 29.2%.
Across the country, more than 9.4 million people have contracted the virus and 233,116 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
