COVID cases keep dropping in Kansas City. What are the latest hospitalization numbers?
Hospitalization and death rates are staying relatively high in Kansas City, but these metrics may begin to decline soon as fewer new patients seek care. Case numbers are still on a downward trend, a pattern confirmed by recent wastewater testing.
As of Tuesday, Feb. 15, the rolling average of new COVID-19 cases across the metro area is around 843 per day over seven days, according to data tracked by The Star. That’s lower than last week’s average of 998. There have been approximately 12.4 deaths per day in the last week, which is a little lower than 12.9 per day the previous week.
Wastewater samples from around the state of Missouri show that the omicron variant is declining. University of Missouri researcher Marc Johnson told KMBC News that the viral particles his lab detects are steady or falling at all of the state’s testing sites.
Local officials have reported 5,903 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, bringing the total number of cases in the Kansas City metro area up to 351,506 since the pandemic began. That’s lower than the 6,983 cases recorded last week, which was lower than 15,882 the week before.
Eighty-seven deaths were reported in the past week, bringing the local death total up to 3,959 since the pandemic began. That’s similar to the 90 deaths recorded last week. This week’s death count includes numbers from a state of Missouri audit on Monday, Feb. 14, which added 306 previously uncounted COVID-19 deaths to the state’s totals.
How are hospitals holding up?
While new COVID-19 cases are declining, hospitalizations and deaths are at similar levels to previous weeks. Hospitalizations typically follow around two weeks behind trends in case numbers, while deaths occur roughly a week after that.
The University of Kansas Health System is treating 57 patients with active COVID-19 infections as of Tuesday, Feb. 15. Eleven of these patients are in the ICU, with six on ventilators. That’s lower than the 80 active cases the hospital was treating at this time last week.
The recent decline in case numbers has led to a drop in mask mandates around the city. Here’s the latest on masking around the metro.
Getting vaccinated is still the most effective way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, and experts recommend using increased caution if you are not yet vaccinated. Here’s how vaccinated different areas of Kansas City are, and here’s where to get a free vaccine or booster shot in the metro.
Do you have more questions about staying safe from COVID-19 in Kansas City? Ask our Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com or with the form below.
.jpg)