Kansas hits 9,000 deaths from COVID-19, including 13 children; flags won't be lowered this time

Kansas has hit another grisly milestone of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported the COVID-19 death toll has now surpassed 9,000 people.

The 9,019 people who died with COVID-19 had the disease listed on their death certificate as the underlying cause of death or as a significant contributing factor. The state has recorded more than 864,000 cases.

The death count includes 13 children. More than 75% of all COVID-19 deaths in Kansas were patients aged 65 and older. The median age is 77.

When did Kansas reach 8,000 deaths from COVID-19?

Gov. Laura Kelly hasn't ordered flags to half-staff to honor the lives lost to the pandemic, as she has with each previous time the state hit another thousand-death mark. Flags in Kansas are currently ordered to be lowered to half-staff to honor Rep. Gail Finney.

"I’m deeply saddened as I order flags to half-staff for the eighth time since the pandemic began," Kelly said when the state hit the 8,000 deaths. "We have the tools to stop this virus and prevent further unnecessary deaths of our loved ones. Whether you are considering your first shot, or your third, I urge all Kansans to get vaccinated as soon as possible."

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Kansas hit the 8,000 mark in March, at which time eight had been children. The 7,000 mark came in December, with six children.

The health department reported 61 new deaths on Wednesday since last week's update, but noted that the large increase was due to record reconciliation and "does not necessarily reflect a recent increase in deaths."

Federal data released Wednesday, which doesn't yet reflect the increase reported by KDHE, has the cumulative death rate in Kansas at just over 300 deaths per 100,000 people. That's is in the middle of the pack nationwide, but better than average for the FEMA region.

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Despite higher community transmission and case counts this summer, death rates have remained relatively low following the winter surge. The omicron variant tends to cause less severe disease. Additionally, 74% of the entire Kansas population and 86% of adults have gotten at least one dose of a vaccine.

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Children have lowest vaccination rates

Vaccination rates drop for those with a second shot, and drop further for those who got a booster. The lowest vaccination rates are among children.

Case rates were on the rise for much of the summer before dipping in late July and early August, but transmission increased again in late August after school reopened. The spike was largely driven by age groups encompassing school-aged children and college-aged adults.

Jason Tidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jtidd@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Tidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: 9,000 people in Kansas have died in COVID pandemic, including 13 kids