‘We’re starting to see a rise in deaths’ from COVID-19, KU doctor says
Cases of COVID-19 are continuing to rise in the Kansas City area, a trend that experts are beginning to note in local death rates from the virus as well.
Local experts met Tuesday morning at the University of Kansas Health System to discuss the latest pandemic wave. Infectious disease expert Dr. Dana Hawkinson estimated that the metro is actually experiencing between two and five times the number of cases that are being officially reported.
Underreporting is due to the prevalence of home tests and a decline in mass testing events that report new cases directly to state authorities and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What does Kansas City’s COVID-19 data look like this week?
Officials reported a total of 2,478 new cases in the Kansas City area over the past week. That’s higher than last week’s total of 2,288 new cases. The past week saw an average of 354 cases per day in the metro area, while the previous week’s average was 327 cases per day over seven days.
The state of Missouri is no longer reporting death counts at the county level.
Johnson County reported four deaths in the last week, while Wyandotte County reported an unusually high 13. That brings the Kansas City metro area’s death total up to at least 4,319 since the pandemic began.
How are hospitals holding up?
The University of Kansas Health System is currently treating nine patients with active COVID-19 infections, up from five at this time last week. Two of these patients are in the ICU, but none are on a ventilator.
“You want to start thinking about putting a mask back on… because we’re starting to see a rise in deaths,” said Dr. Steve Stites, the hospital’s chief medical officer. “Hopefully, we will not see the same rises in ICU [patients] and deaths that we’ve seen with the last surges.”
Johnson County’s health department is distributing free COVID-19 tests from its Olathe office.
How vaccinated is the Kansas City area?
Vaccination rates in the area are rising slowly, with 62.26% of the population fully vaccinated in the Kansas City region. Eastern Kansas has a higher vaccination rate, at 70.43%, than western Missouri does at 56.17%.
The FDA has also 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.
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.
