KC metro adds over 1,100 COVID cases as KU Health System sees record virus patients
The Kansas City metropolitan area added more than 1,100 COVID-19 cases Tuesday as The University of Kansas Health System reported a record number of virus patients.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri, as well as Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, gained 1,167 cases for a total of 68,799.
The seven-day average for new cases was 1,092. One week ago, it was 965. Two weeks ago, it was 616, according to data maintained by The Star.
Eighteen more deaths were reported in the metro. Five were in Kansas City, eight were in Jackson County and five were in Johnson County, raising the metro’s total to 904. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services attributed a jump in deaths statewide to its weekly analysis of death certificates.
The University of Kansas Health System reported a record 84 patients being treated for COVID-19, up from 80 on Monday. Of the 84, 31 are in the intensive care unit with 12 on ventilators.
The health system said hospitals from across Kansas and Missouri were struggling to find beds for transfer patients.
Lee Norman, secretary of Kansas Department of Health and Environment, recommended holding Thanksgiving virtually or in gatherings of no more than four people.
“If we screw up during Thanksgiving and have a huge surge of cases, December is going to be bleak,” Norman said.
On Tuesday, Missouri confirmed 248,886 cases and 3,453 deaths. The seven-day positive test rate, excluding repeat tests, was 43.4%.
Kansas reported 122,741 cases including 1,266 deaths. There are currently 551 hospitalizations and the monthly positive test rate was 20.3%.
Across the country, more than 11.2 million people have contracted the virus and 247,696 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 5:11 PM.
