KC metro again breaks 7-day case average as virus infects another 1,125 residents
The seven-day rolling average for new coronavirus cases in the Kansas City metropolitan area rose Sunday to its highest yet, after another 1,125 infections were reported.
That average — which now exceeds 1,115 new cases each day — comes after the region on Saturday recorded its highest single-day increase in infections, with 1,335.
Last week, the seven-day case average was 795; two weeks ago, it was 585, according to public health data.
In total, the virus has infected 66,736 metro residents and killed 880 people across the region, which encompasses Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri, and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas.
Johnson County has reported the highest number of infections to date in the region, with 19,485. Kansas City has seen the second highest number of cases, with 19,083.
Both jurisdictions have suffered 244 deaths — ahead of Wyandotte County’s 167 deaths and Jackson County’s 153.
On Sunday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas penned a guest column in The Star in which he wrote “we are in the toughest moment since this virus came into our communities.” He said he would soon share additional public health guidance and called on residents to stay home during Thanksgiving.
“For every precaution you choose to ignore, hundreds of people will continue to suffer the consequences,” he wrote. “It is just not worth it.”
Across Missouri, 239,451 residents to date have been infected, including 3,374 who have died. In the last seven days, the state’s positive test rate has been 24.4%.
When it last released data Friday, Kansas reported 115,507 infections and 1,256 deaths. The positive test rate was 20.2%.
Nationwide, the virus has infected at least 10.9 million people and killed more than 245,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.
