More COVID cases reported, but hospitalizations and deaths remain low in Kansas City
While case numbers in Kansas City continue to rise slightly, hospitalizations and deaths remain low. This may be due to a small “wave” caused by the BA.2 subvariant, which local experts predicted would be very mild.
Officials reported a total of 1,159 new cases in the Kansas City area over the past week. That’s a little higher than last week’s total of 936 new cases. The past week saw an average of 166 cases per day in the metro area, while the previous week’s average was 134 cases per day over seven days.
This week’s numbers do not include Wyandotte County, which experienced a cybersecurity attack on Wednesday, April 18. The county has not yet regained control of its COVID-19 data dashboard.
The state of Missouri reported 10 new COVID deaths in the past 12 days. These deaths did not necessarily occur in the counties that comprise the Kansas City metro area. Johnson County reported six deaths in the last week, while Wyandotte County’s death count is not available. That’s a total of at least six new deaths in the Kansas City metro, bringing the local total up to at least 4,287.
New data reporting that deemphasizes daily case numbers and death totals by county has changed the way The Star provides COVID-19 updates. This is because both Kansas and Missouri are treating COVID-19 as “endemic” now. Here’s what that means for you.
How are hospitals holding up?
The University of Kansas Health System is currently treating 10 patients with active COVID-19 infections. It was treating nine at this time last week. Two of these patients are in the ICU, but neither are on a ventilator.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Dana Hawkinson noted that only around half of the 10 active infections are in the hospital for COVID-19, while the rest have other diagnoses as well.
“It does muddy the water a little bit,” he said in a news briefing on Friday, April 29. “Overall, I do think the numbers are good.”
The hospital recently announced that it will stop giving COVID tests to all incoming patients and instead test only those who think they are infected or are symptomatic. Hawkinson has noted that this change may impact the daily health system COVID numbers.
Hospitals in the Kansas City area are not currently seeing a significant influx of COVID-19 patients, but experts are staying vigilant in case a new “wave” arrives.
How vaccinated is the Kansas City area?
Vaccination rates in the area are rising slowly, with 61.71% of the population fully vaccinated in the Kansas City region. Eastern Kansas has a higher vaccination rate, at 69.66%, than western Missouri does at 55.78%.
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.
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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