KC metro adds 1,000 COVID-19 cases as KU Health System hits record number of patients
More than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported Thursday in the Kansas City metro, a whopping number that continued to drive up the area’s seven-day average for 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 1,076 cases for a total of 56,105.
The metro has had one other day where new cases surpassed 1,000. On Oct. 15, 1,128 new cases were reported. However that jump came after Missouri failed to update its data for four days due to a technical problem.
The seven-day average for new cases now sits at 695, the metro’s highest yet. One week ago, it was 455. Two weeks ago, it was 381. The average has more than doubled from one month ago when it was 341, according to data maintained by The Star.
Seven more deaths were reported Thursday. Two were in Kansas City, four were in Johnson County and one was in Wyandotte County, raising the metro’s total to 823.
The University of Kansas Health System recorded its highest number of COVID-19 patients, overtaking the previous record of 44 set on Wednesday.
“It actually hurts to look at those numbers,” said Wissam El Atrouni, an infectious disease physician with the health system. “We have the highest number we’ve had — 51.”
Of those, 18 are in the intensive care unit with 10 requiring ventilators.
On Thursday, Missouri confirmed 196,576 cases including 3,106 deaths. The positive test rate, excluding repeat tests, was 30%.
Kansas reported 92,215 cases including 1,087 deaths. There are currently 567 hospitalizations and 297 active clusters.
Across the country, more than 9.5 million people have contracted the virus and 234,300 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
