‘We have done pretty good’: KC metro’s rolling average of COVID-19 cases falls again
For the seventh consecutive day, the rolling average for new COVID-19 cases declined in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas added 205 cases for a total of 138,558 cases to date.
The seven-day average for new cases fell to 187, according to data maintained by The Star. One week ago, the average sat at 212 and two weeks ago, it was 236.
“I think as a community, we have done pretty good and been very fortunate compared to some of the other cities in the nation,” Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Kansas Health System, said of the declining rolling average.
Jackson County added two deaths, Johnson County added two, Clay County added one and Wyandotte County added four, raising the metro’s total to 1,988.
The University of Kansas Health System had 23 patients hospitalized for the virus, down one from Thursday. Ten patients were in the intensive care unit, with two on ventilators.
On Friday, Kansas confirmed 293,663 cases including 4,735 deaths. The monthly positive test rate was 4.7%.
The state has distributed 805,480 doses of the vaccine with 544,262 administered, covering 12.7% of the population, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Missouri reported 477,472 cases including 7,913 deaths. The seven-day positive test rate was 5.6%.
The state has administered 1,187,164 vaccine doses covering 12.8% of the population, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Missouri had received 1,670,085 doses and administered 1,213,449. Numbers differ because of a lag in reporting, health officials have said.
Across the U.S., more than 28.4 million people have contracted the virus and 508,997 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
