Kansas City metro adds 926 COVID-19 cases, death rate again hits record high
The Kansas City metropolitan area added 926 COVID-19 cases and 15 more deaths Thursday, exceeding the record seven-day average for new daily deaths for the second day in a row.
Total deaths in the metro have hit 1,296, with an average of 13 deaths per day over the past week.
To date, at least 105,271 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus in the metro area, which encompasses Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas.
The seven-day rolling average for new cases in the Kansas City metro sits at 860. One week ago, it was 927. Two weeks ago, it was 1,084.
As of Thursday, Johnson County tallied the greatest number of infections in the metro, at 31,941. The county has also suffered the most deaths, with 413.
Kansas City has reported 348 known COVID-19 deaths and 28,800 cases to date. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’s COVID-19 data for Jackson, Clay and Platte counties does not include the cases discovered within Kansas City’s city limits.
Doctors say the public needs to remain vigilant about the virus, especially now.
“It will be so critical to watch what happens over the holiday season because we know that’s where the next pressure’s going to come, people are gathering,” Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said recently. “Remember to follow the rules of infection prevention and control: Wear your mask, keep your distance, wash your hands, cough into your elbow, don’t go outside if you’re sick.”
On Thursday, Missouri reported more than 376,811 cases to date, including 5,294 deaths. The seven-day positive test rate was 17.6%.
As of Wednesday, the most recent day in which numbers were reported, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 209,689 cases, including 2,507 deaths. The monthly positive test rate was 13.6%.
Across the country, more than 18.6 million people have contracted the virus and nearly 328,500 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. Globally, more than 79.2 million people have tested positive for the virus and more than 1.7 million have died.
The Star’s Katie Moore contributed reporting.
