The Kansas City metro area continues to reopen as more and more of the population gets the COVID-19 vaccine.
What you need to know:
- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Friday the state has 314,855 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and there have been 5,085 deaths since the outbreak started. Overall, the state said 42.5% of the population has been vaccinated with at least one dose. Kansas only updates is case totals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Friday there have been 512,834 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak and 9,138 deaths. Overall, the state said 41.9% of the population has received at least one dose and 34.9% have completed vaccination.
12:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 332 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since Wednesday, pushing the statewide total to 314,855 since the outbreak started.
KDHE reported four new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,084. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 40 to 10,816 since the start of the outbreak.
State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 15 cases.
The overall monthly positivity is at 2.7% for June 2021 to date, slightly down from last month according to the KDHE. That number is still down from a high of 16.5% in November.
The state also said it has vaccinated 1,237,727 people, 2,208,153 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 42.5% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose.
[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]
Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 59,267 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 57,417. Wyandotte County is third with 20,670 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,286 cases, Douglas County reports 8,927 and Miami County has 2,779.
Health officials said they’re now monitoring 46 outbreak clusters. A total of 720 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 18 hospitalizations and 14 deaths.
11:30 a.m. — Health officials in Springfield and Joplin are seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations amid relatively low vaccination rates and more people gathering for social events without masks or social distancing.
CoxHealth’s flagship hospital in Springfield had between 35 and 40 COVID-19 patients, which was more than double the number two weeks ago, CEO Steve Edwards said Thursday.
And nearly 20% of patients tested at CoxHealth facilities in southwestern Missouri are testing positive for COVID-19, which was up from just 5% two weeks ago, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Three hospitals in Joplin, about 70 miles west of Springfield, reported a total of 39 COVID-19 patients on Wednesday. That figure hovered around 15 in early May, The Joplin Globe reported.
The increases come as two counties in northern Missouri – neighboring Linn and Livingston – reported big increases in COVID-19 cases. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on Wednesday showed Livingston County with 348 cases per 100,000 residents over for the seven-day period ending Sunday, and Linn County with 243 cases per 100,000. The statewide average for the period was 27 cases.
Joplin straddles Jasper and Newton counties, which have relatively low vaccination rates. About 38% of Joplin residents have completed vaccinations but only 19% of Jasper County residents and 16% of Newton County residents have been vaccinated, according to state data.
In Greene County, 31% of the population has completed vaccination, state data shows, compared to 35% statewide.
Edwards, of CoxHealth, said more people have been gathering for events such as graduations and fewer people are wearing masks or social distancing.
“There are a lot of people that have chosen not to be vaccinated in our market, and they are that much more vulnerable,” Edwards said.
Many patients are from neighboring Taney County – where 23% have completed vaccination. he said.
He said nurses tell him patients say they did not think COVID-19 was real, and that they wish they had been vaccinated.
“Then there’s a percentage of people who say, ‘Well, I’m living my life and I don’t regret it,’ and there’s the occasional person that still believes they don’t even have COVID,” Edwards said.
8 a.m.— Officials with the University of Kansas Health System said doctors at the University of Kansas Hospital are currently treating seven active infections, including two patients in the ICU. The hospital said it is treating 14 total COVID-19 patients with seven listed in the recovery phase. Doctors said they have not had any inpatient COVID-19 deaths since May 23.
7 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 512,834 on Friday, which is an increase of 511 cases. The state also reported there have been 88,051 (+425) possible antigen cases to date.
The state said there have now been 9,138 (+9) deaths since the start of the outbreak.
The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 4.4%, according to the MDHSS. That number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.
The state said it has administered 4,566,106 vaccine doses, 2,574,096 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,142,300 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 41.9% of the population has received at least one dose and 34.9% have completed vaccination.
An estimated 40.1% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 38.7%, Clay County is at 32.7%, Cass County is at 33.1% and Platte County is at 28.2%.
[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]
Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.
The state reported there have been 1,598 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 228 cases a day.
Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,605 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,379 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,419 cases in Clay County, 7,785 in Cass County and 3,331 in Platte County.
[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]
[ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ]
THURSDAY
9:45 p.m. — Olathe Public Schools is expected to implement new COVID-19 guidelines next month. The school board approved new protocols Thursday that will start July 2 if COVID-19 case rates remain low in the community. Among the new COVID-19 guidelines, face coverings will be encouraged, but not required, for staff, students and visitors. READ MORE.
11:35 a.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has amended its travel quarantine list Thursday to include the countries of Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
Several states and countries have been removed from the list, including Maine, Minnesota, all of the counties in Colorado, and the countries of Cabo Verde, Georgia, Lithuania, Netherlands and Sweden. These changes are effective Thursday.
A comprehensive list of those individuals needing to quarantine includes visitors and Kansans who have:
- Traveled on or after June 3 to Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Suriname or Trinidad and Tobago.
- Traveled on or after May 20 to the countries of Costa Rica or French Guiana.
- Traveled on or after May 6 to the countries of India, Maldives or Seychelles.
- Traveled on or after April 22 to the countries of Argentina or Bahrain.
- Traveled on or after April 8 to the country of Uruguay.
- Traveled between May 20 and June 3 to the countries of Georgia, Lithuania or the Netherlands.
- Traveled between May 20 and June 3 to Maine or the Colorado counties of Alamosa, Baca, Costilla, Dolores, Mesa, Mineral, Otero, Prowers, Rio Grande, Saguache, Sedgwick or Yuma.
- Traveled between May 6 and June 3 to the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Conejos, Crowley, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Huerfano, Jefferson, Larimer or Pueblo.
- Traveled between May 6 and June 3 to Cabo Verde.
- Traveled between April 22 and June 3 to Minnesota or Sweden.
- Attendance at any out-of-state mass gatherings of 500 or more where individuals do not socially distance (6 feet) and wear a mask.
- Been on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15, 2020.
The travel quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on Day 8 and Day 11, respectively. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s website.
8 a.m.— Officials with the University of Kansas Health System said doctors at the University of Kansas Hospital are currently treating six active infections, including two patients in the ICU. The hospital said it is treating 12 total COVID-19 patients with six listed in the recovery phase. Doctors said they have not had any inpatient COVID-19 deaths since May 23.
7 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 512,323 on Thursday, which is an increase of 351 cases. The state also reported there have been 88,051 (+425) possible antigen cases to date.
The state said there have now been 9,129 (+7) deaths since the start of the outbreak. The state health department said the spike in deaths is attributed to a review of past death certificates.
The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 4.5%, according to the MDHSS. That number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.
The state said it has administered 4,553,422 vaccine doses, 2,568,268 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,134,587 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 41.8% of the population has received at least one dose and 34.8% have completed vaccination.
An estimated 40% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 38.6%, Clay County is at 32.6%, Cass County is at 32.9% and Platte County is at 28.1%.
[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]
Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.
The state reported there have been 1,466 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 209 cases a day.
Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,563 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,351 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,416 cases in Clay County, 7,782 in Cass County and 3,331 in Platte County.
[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]
[ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ]
WEDNESDAY
2:15 p.m. — Two neighboring counties in rural northern Missouri are seeing big increases in COVID-19 cases, spikes blamed in part on new variants of the virus, and in part on the behavior of residents.
Health officials in Linn and Livingston counties are urging precautions to slow the spread of the virus, though they’re not certain residents will follow that guidance – both counties lag well behind the state and national averages in vaccinations. READ MORE
12:30 p.m. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an increase of 526 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its first update since last Friday and before the Memorial Day holiday, pushing the statewide total to 314,523 since the outbreak started.
KDHE reported four new deaths, making the total since the start of the outbreak 5,080. The state reported hospitalizations increased by 54 to 10,776 since the start of the outbreak.
State health officials are now also tracking MIS-C cases in the state, or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, associated with COVID-19. So far, the state notes 15 cases.
The overall monthly positivity is at 2.7% for May 2021 to date, slightly down from last month according to the KDHE. That number is still down from a high of 16.5% in November.
The state also said it has vaccinated 1,231,676 people, 2,197,044 total doses of the vaccine have been administered and 42.3% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose.
[ KANSAS COVID-19 COVID-19 DASHBOARD ]
Johnson County is the county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the outbreak with 59,208 cases. Sedgwick County is second with 57,376. Wyandotte County is third with 20,642 cases. Leavenworth County has 7,264 cases, Douglas County reports 8,925 and Miami County has 2,779.
Health officials said they’re now monitoring 46 outbreak clusters. A total of 720 cases have been attributed to these clusters with 18 hospitalizations and 14 deaths.
10:15 a.m. — With demand for COVID-19 vaccines at mass clinics, some Kansas communities are making their inoculation efforts more mobile.
If people can’t leave their homes for a COVID-19 vaccination, public health officials in Johnson and Wyandotte counties in the Kansas City area can send someone out.
Wyandotte County is signing up churches, businesses and apartment complexes for group shots – and going to them. The state has seven trailers allowing it to set up vaccine clinics at remote sites, including Kansas Speedway and Melvern Lake south of Topeka later this week.
A University of Kansas Health System official jokingly suggested having ice cream trucks also give vaccinations.
9 a.m. — The Kansas City Symphony announced its 2021/22 concert season Wednesday, returning to the stage in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts with in-person audiences and full capacity this September. READ MORE
8:45 a.m. — Anheuser-Busch announced Wednesday it’s partnering with the White House to offer another reason to get vaccinated against COVID-19: free beer. The Budweiser brewer said once 70% of American adults are at least partially inoculated, it’ll buy a round of beer for anyone 21 or older. READ MORE
8 a.m.— Officials with the University of Kansas Health System said doctors at the University of Kansas Hospital are currently treating five active infections, including one patient in the ICU. The hospital said it is treating 12 total COVID-19 patients with seven listed in the recovery phase. Doctors said they have not had any inpatient COVID-19 deaths since May 23.
7 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 511,972 on Wednesday, which is an increase of 306 cases. The state also reported there have been 88,051 (+172) possible antigen cases to date.
The state said there have now been 9,122 (+42) deaths since the start of the outbreak. The state health department said the spike in deaths is attributed to a review of past death certificates.
The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 4.3%, according to the MDHSS. That number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.
The state said it has administered 4,541,965 vaccine doses, 2,563,325 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,127,375 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 41.8% of the population has received at least one dose and 34.7% have completed vaccination.
An estimated 39.9% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 38.6%, Clay County is at 32.5%, Cass County is at 32.9% and Platte County is at 28%.
[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]
Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.
The state reported there have been 1,632 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 233 cases a day.
Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,545 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,332 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,411 cases in Clay County, 7,776 in Cass County and 3,329 in Platte County.
6:30 a.m. — It’s certainly a milestone for Wyandotte County – putting shot number 100,000 in an arm at the vaccination clinic in the old K-Mart on State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. READ MORE
[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]
[ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ]
TUESDAY
1:45 p.m. — During its Tuesday morning COVID-19 update, the University of Kansas Health System reported that it is treating two active infections, including one patient in the ICU. The hospital said it is treating 10 total COVID-19 patients.
8:50 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 511,666 on Tuesday, which is an increase of 114 cases. The state also reported there have been 88,051 (+67) possible antigen cases to date.
The state said there have now been 9,080 deaths since the start of the outbreak.
The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 4.3%, according to the MDHSS. That number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.
The state said it has administered 4,538,144 vaccine doses, 2,561,186 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,125,591 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 41.7% of the population has received at least one dose and 34.6% have completed vaccination.
An estimated 39.9% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 38.5%, Clay County is at 32.5%, Cass County is at 32.8% and Platte County is at 28%.
[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]
Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.
The state reported there have been 1,545 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 221 cases a day.
Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,534 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,318 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,406 cases in Clay County, 7,764 in Cass County and 3,329 in Platte County.
[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]
[ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ]
MONDAY
8 a.m. — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 511,552 on Monday, which is an increase of 108 cases. The state also reported there have been 87,984 (+117) possible antigen cases to date.
The state said there have now been 9,080 deaths since the start of the outbreak.
The overall seven-day positivity rate for the state is at 4.3%, according to the MDHSS. That number is still down from a high of 23.1% in November.
The state said it has administered 4,533,144 vaccine doses, 2,558,045 people have initiated vaccination (or received one dose) and 2,123,537 people have received a second dose. Overall, the state said 41.7% of the population has received at least one dose and 34.6% have completed vaccination.
An estimated 39.8% of Kansas City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while Jackson County is at 38.5%, Clay County is at 32.4%, Cass County is at 32.7% and Platte County is at 28%.
[ MISSOURI COVID-19 DASHBOARD]
Missouri does not list how many people have recovered from COVID-19.
The state reported there have been 1,590 positive cases over the last seven days and an average of 227 cases a day.
Looking at local numbers, the DHSS reported 39,526 confirmed cases in Kansas City, Missouri, and 32,313 cases in Jackson County. The state also lists 8,405 cases in Clay County, 7,761 in Cass County and 3,329 in Platte County.
7:30 a.m. — Starting Monday, more fans will be back at the ballpark when the Kansas City Royals take the field at The K, as Kauffman Stadium can now host its full capacity. The Royals have gradually let more fans back in over the last month. Masks are still encouraged if you’re not vaccinated, but fully vaccinated fans don’t have to wear one. READ MORE
6 a.m. — Ride KC has gotten rid of its capacity limits. This morning, riders can sit anywhere on the bus and board at the front or the backdoor. The KC Streetcar is also getting ride of its social distancing requirement on vehicles. You will have to wear a mask on all Ride KC vehicles – under federal order from the CDC and TSA. For a full list of safety measure changes, visit RideKC.org.
[ HOW TO GET THE VACCINE IN KANSAS, MISSOURI ]
[ WHERE WE STAND: MAPS, CHARTS SHOW COVID-19 CASES, VACCINATION RATES ]
The Associated Press contributed to this story.