Kansas City metro surpasses 2,000 COVID-19 deaths as area adds over 125 cases
More than 2,000 people in the Kansas City metropolitan area have died from COVID-19.
The metro added 25 deaths Wednesday. Eleven were in Kansas City, six were in Jackson County, seven were in Clay County and one was in Platte County. No deaths were reported on the Kansas side. The seven-day average for daily deaths is about six.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services conducted its weekly review of death certificates, contributing to the spike in the number of reported deaths in the metro. Statewide 225 COVID-19 deaths were added.
The metro reached 1,000 deaths on Thanksgiving. The area has recorded a total of 2,021 deaths since the first local death from the pandemic was reported on March 12, 2020.
The area encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas gained 136 cases for a total of 139,019 cases to date.
The seven-day average for new cases decreased to 127, according to data maintained by The Star. One week ago, it sat at 194 and two weeks ago, it was 204.
The University of Kansas Health System had 15 patients hospitalized for the virus, the same number as Tuesday. Five were in the intensive care unit with one on a ventilator.
On Wednesday, Kansas confirmed 295,109 cases and 4,816 deaths.
The state has distributed 939,890 doses of the vaccine and administered 614,166, covering 14.1% of the population, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Missouri reported 479,069 cases and 8,148 deaths to date. The seven-day positive test rate was 4.5%.
The state has administered 1,356,785 vaccine doses, covering 14.5% of the population, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The state has received 1,709,605 doses and administered 1,384,067, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Numbers vary due to a lag in reporting.
Across the country, more than 28.7 million people have contracted the virus and 518,265 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
