Kansas City metro adds more than 400 new COVID cases as UK variant appears in Kansas
The Kansas City metropolitan area added nearly 450 new COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths on Thursday.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas gained 440 coronavirus cases for a total of 133,933 to date.
The seven-day average for new cases dropped to 424. One week ago, the average was 523 and two weeks ago, it was 578, according to data maintained by The Star.
Kansas City and Jackson County each added two deaths, while Johnson County added three, Wyandotte County added nine and Clay County added three.
The seven-day average for new daily deaths rose to about 10.
The metro has recorded a total of 1,764 virus deaths since the pandemic began.
The UK variant has been found in Kansas, state health officials announced Wednesday evening. The variant is more transmissible.
“This finding does not change our public health recommendations,” Dr. Lee Norman, secretary for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said in a statement. “We continue to encourage people to take the appropriate precautions: follow isolation and quarantine recommendations, practice physical distancing, wearing masks, good hygiene, staying home if ill and getting the vaccine if you are able to, once the supply is sufficient.”
The University of Kansas Health System reported 34 patients being treated for the virus, down from 41 on Wednesday. Eleven patients are in the intensive care unit with four on ventilators.
On Thursday, Missouri confirmed 463,119 cases including 7,117 deaths. The seven-day positive test rate was 9.3%.
The state has distributed 904,250 doses of the vaccine and administered 482,112 shots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state reported 584,260 doses had been administered, covering 7.4% of the population. Numbers differ due to a lag in reporting, health officials have said.
Kansas reported 278,915 cases including 3,895 deaths. The monthly positive test rate was 6.2%.
The state has received 413,350 doses of the vaccine and 249,724 doses have been administered, covering 6.8% of the population.
Across the country, more than 26.6 million people have contracted the virus and 454,060 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
