There are zero COVID patients in KU Med’s ICU as case numbers continue to drop around KC
.JPG "Wyandotte County will be closing its mass COVID-19 vaccination and testing facility at the former Kmart site, 7836 State Ave., on March 30, 2022.")
COVID-19 numbers continue to improve in Kansas City, with area hospitals seeing a continuing decline in patients with the disease. The University of Kansas Health System’s ICU contained zero COVID-19 patients on the morning of Tuesday, March 15. Death totals from the past week are steady, while case totals are down.
Kansas City’s latest COVID-19 data
Local officials have reported 451 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, bringing the total number of cases in the Kansas City metro area up to 355,653 since the pandemic began. That’s lower than the 891 cases recorded last week, which was lower than the 1,187 the week before.
As of Tuesday, March 15, the rolling average of new COVID-19 cases across the metro area is around 64 per day over seven days, according to data tracked by The Star. That’s lower than last week’s average of 127, which was lower than the previous week’s average of 170.
There have been approximately 6.3 deaths per day reported in the last week, which is slightly higher than the 5.9 per day reported the previous week. Last week’s average included numbers from a state of Missouri audit that added 246 previously uncounted COVID-19 deaths to the state’s totals. This week’s average includes an audit which added 413 new deaths to the total.
Forty-four new deaths were reported this past week in the Kansas City area, including the audit we mentioned above. That brings the local death total up to 4,189 since the pandemic began. Forty-one deaths were reported the previous week.
How are local hospitals holding up?
The University of Kansas Health System is treating twelve patients with active COVID-19 infections as of Tuesday, March 15. None of these patients are in the ICU or on a ventilator. That’s lower than the 20 active cases the hospital was treating at this time last week.
“Overall, we are continuing to see better numbers in the hospital,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease specialist at The University of Kansas Health System in a news briefing on Tuesday, March 15. “We have been hanging in those high teens, and seeing less is always better.”
Recent data from the Mid-America Regional Council, or MARC, shows hospitalization rates declining in the Kansas City area over the last several weeks. This trend offers some welcome relief to local hospitals, which struggled to meet patient needs amid staffing and supply shortages during the most recent pandemic wave.
How vaccinated is the Kansas City area?
Vaccination rates in the area are rising slowly, with 60.81% of the population fully vaccinated in the Kansas City region. Eastern Kansas has a higher vaccination rate, at 68.54%, than western Missouri does at 55.06%.
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 parts of Kansas City are, and here’s where to get a free vaccine or booster shot in the area.
Do you have more questions about staying safe from COVID-19 in Kansas City? Ask our Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
.jpg)