‘It’s holding steady, but at least it’s not going up’: Kansas City COVID cases plateau
COVID-19 cases and death numbers are stagnating in the Kansas City area. While both metrics are low, they have stopped declining at the rate of previous weeks since the height of the omicron variant surge. Doctors say the first local cases of the omicron subvariant BA.2 may appear soon.
The latest data
Local officials have reported 399 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, bringing the total number of cases in the Kansas City metro area up to 356,120 since the pandemic began. That’s lower than the 451 cases recorded last week, which was lower than the 891 the week before.
As of Tuesday, March 22, the rolling average of new COVID-19 cases across the metro area is around 67 per day over seven days, according to data tracked by The Star. That’s similar to last week’s average of 64, which was lower than the previous week’s average of 127.
There have been approximately 5.4 deaths per day reported in the last week, which is lower than the 6.3 per day reported the previous week. Last week’s average included an audit which added 413 previously uncounted COVID-19 deaths to the state’s totals. This week’s data included a smaller audit that added 111 deaths.
Thirty-eight new deaths were reported this past week in the Kansas City area, bringing the local death total up to 4,227 since the pandemic began. Forty-four deaths were recorded the previous week.
How are local hospitals holding up?
The University of Kansas Health System is treating 14 patients with active COVID-19 infections as of Tuesday, March 22. Two of these patients are in the ICU, although none are on a ventilator. That’s slightly higher than the twelve active cases the hospital was treating at this time last week.
“We still hoped our active infections would be lower than they are– we’ve settled into the teens right now,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infectious disease prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System in a news briefing on Tuesday, March 22. “It’s holding steady, but at least it’s not going up right now.”
Dr. Raghu Adiga, the chief medical officer of Liberty Hospital, noted that the omicron BA.2 subvariant could arrive in Kansas City in the coming weeks.
While early data from overseas shows that this strain is no more serious than the original omicron variant, it is somewhat more contagious. Dr. Adiga stressed the importance of getting a booster shot or completing a course of COVID-19 vaccination if you haven’t already.
How vaccinated is the Kansas City area?
Vaccination rates in the area are rising slowly, with 60.91% of the population fully vaccinated in the Kansas City region. Eastern Kansas has a higher vaccination rate, at 68.64%, than western Missouri does at 55.15%.
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.
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