Kansas City metro sees nearly 1,800 new COVID cases in past week
.JPG "COVID cases are rising in the metro.")
Cases of COVID-19 are beginning to rise more rapidly in the Kansas City area, while hospitalizations and death rates remain low.
“Cases are increasing… [but] these are at very slow paces,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease expert at the University of Kansas Health System in a news briefing on Friday. “No issues with [hospital] capacity at this point, hopefully we can keep it that way.”
National data shows new reported cases rising around the country. Experts at KU Med noted last week that this trend indicates another wave may be on the way to the Midwest.
“Unfortunately, we are going to see another wave, and it’s going to come soon in this direction,” said Dr. Steve Stites, the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, in a news briefing on Friday, May 6. “I think in the next six to eight weeks we’ll start to experience it more here.”
What does Kansas City’s COVID-19 data look like this week?
Case numbers are rising in Kansas City while hospitalizations and deaths remain low.
Officials reported a total of 1,793 new cases in the Kansas City area over the past week. That’s higher than last week’s total of 1,342 new cases. For comparison, one month ago in the week of April 15, there were only 654 new cases.
The past week saw an average of 256 cases per day in the metro area, while the previous week’s average was 192 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 does not currently have death total data available for the past two weeks. Johnson County reported no deaths in the last week, while Wyandotte County’s death count is not available. That leaves the local death total at at least 4,289.
How are hospitals holding up?
The University of Kansas Health System is currently treating six patients with active COVID-19 infections, the same as it was this time last week. Two of these patients are in the ICU, but neither are on a ventilator.
Hawkinson noted last week that those with COVID-19 symptoms should get tested as soon as possible so they can access new treatments like Pfizer’s Paxlovid pill to reduce their risk of hospitalization.
“If we can keep as many people as possible out of the hospital, that is what we want,” he said. “That’s why we continue to endorse vaccinations, being up to date with boosters, and if you have symptoms, test as early as possible.”
Johnson County’s health department is now distributing free COVID-19 tests from its Olathe office to those who want them.
How vaccinated is the Kansas City area?
Vaccination rates in the area are rising slowly, with 62% of the population fully vaccinated in the Kansas City region. Eastern Kansas has a higher vaccination rate, at 70.07%, than western Missouri does at 55.98%.
The FDA has placed restrictions on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after reports of a very rare side effect that causes blood clots. It now recommends only using the J&J vaccine if you are over 18 and do not have access to any other COVID-19 vaccination options.
“It’s important to note that these are complications that occur early after vaccination,” said Stites. “So if you’ve had the J&J vaccine, I don’t think you have to worry about a late onset of a new complication.”
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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