COVID case numbers jump in Kansas City as health officials worry about ‘triple-demic’

COVID-19 data from around the Kansas City metro area shows an increase in reported new cases by over 30% since just last week, from under 1,000 to just over 1,300.

The increase comes as experts warn that the city is experiencing a “triple-demic” of COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV.

“If you’re due for those vaccines, whatever those may be, please go out and get them,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System in a Tuesday news briefing.

“Talk to your primary care physician, your medical teams, even your pharmacists and just be up to date with those vaccines to help prevent further illness.

Here’s the latest COVID-19 data in the Kansas City area.

What does Kansas City’s COVID-19 data look like this week?

Officials reported a total of 1,309 new cases of COVID-19 in the Kansas City area over the past week, up from 997 the previous week. That gives the metro a 7-day average of around 187 new cases per day, compared to around 142 per day a week earlier.

Since many people are taking COVID tests at home, which aren’t publicly recorded, experts say real case totals are likely anywhere from two to five times higher than what data shows.

The state of Missouri is no longer reporting death counts at the county level. Johnson County reported three new deaths since last week, while Wyandotte County reported one. That brings the Kansas City metro area’s death total up to at least 4,411 since the pandemic began.

How are hospitals holding up?

The University of Kansas Health System is treating 24 patients with active COVID-19 infections, up from 21 last week. Three of these patients are in the ICU with one on a ventilator, compared to no ICU patients or patients on ventilators last week.

“(Case numbers) are still hanging in the higher range than we would like,” Hawkinson said. “Hopefully we can knock those numbers down a little bit.”

MARC hospitalization data shows that the greater Kansas City area is now seeing an average of 81 new hospitalizations per day, up from 75 per day last week. Hospitalization trends usually follow several weeks behind case numbers, although current case numbers may not accurately reflect the full extent of the virus due to home testing.

How vaccinated is the Kansas City area?

Part of Kansas City’s defense against the most active COVID-19 variants are the new bivalent booster shots, which are available at clinics around the metro. These boosters offer protection from both the original COVID-19 and several strains of the omicron variant.

A recent Star report found that only around 4% of eligible patients in the metro have gotten the new booster as of late October.

Anyone who has received an initial COVID-19 vaccination, including children as young as five years old, can now get one of these new shots. They’re available at local health departments, clinics and pharmacies around the metro.

Overall vaccination rates in the metro are rising slowly, with 65.44% of the population fully vaccinated in the Kansas City region. Eastern Kansas has a higher vaccination rate, at 74.59%, than western Missouri does at 58.54%.

What are the COVID-19 risk levels in the Kansas City area?

Clay, Platte, Jackson and Johnson Counties have all remained at a “low” community level of COVID-19. This indicates the medical care is readily available for COVID-19 patients.

Wyandotte County is still at a “medium” community level. That means the CDC recommends maintaining good ventilation, getting up to date on your vaccines and boosters, and wearing a mask if you are immunocompromised or indoors with someone who is.

All the counties that make up the Kansas City metro area remain at “high” transmission levels, except for Wyandotte County, which remains one step lower at a “substantial” transmission level. Both these rankings mean that your risk of catching COVID-19 in public is still elevated, even though medical care may be easier to access than before.

Do you have more questions about staying safe from COVID-19 in Kansas City? Ask our Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.