An increase has been noted recently in COVID-19 case numbers at the local, state and national levels.
Cases are up across the United States, according to national measurements such as the seven-day rolling average at Johns Hopkins University, according to Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System. It shouldn’t be any surprise since schools and society and bars have reopened, he added.
Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 website reported national cases at 7.2 million on Thursday, with more than 200,000 deaths.
The University of Kansas Health System saw a slight increase on Thursday morning, with 34 patients in the hospital with acute COVID-19, including nine in the intensive care unit and six on ventilators, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System. He said there are 27 other COVID-19 patients in recovery, with three on the ventilator. HaysMed in Hays, Kansas, reported 14 acute COVID-19 patients and one in recovery on Thursday.
Wyandotte County reported 6,973 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Thursday, an increase of 91 reported since Wednesday, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 website. There were 134 cumulative COVID-19 deaths reported, the same as Wednesday. There were six more persons hospitalized since Wednesday.
According to the UG COVID-19 hub, Wyandotte County had a 14.4 seven-day rolling average of positive test percentages on Sept. 30. The positivity rate of all who tested positive since March is about 17.4 percent in Wyandotte County, according to the website. Ideally, the positivity rate should be below 5 percent, according to national officials.
The KC Region COVID-19 hub reported 43,987 total cases in the nine-county Kansas City area. Hospitalization rates were trending up.
Kansas, which reports its case numbers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, saw an increase of 1,120 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, for a cumulative total of 59,749, with 678 total deaths.
In response to a question about why so many totals show different numbers or rates, Dr. Hawkinson said there could be delays in test results for some, or a delay in data at the site they’re getting information. He advised people to pick a couple of sites to look at, such as the Johns Hopkins site, Kansas site or the Mid-America Regional Council’s KC Regional COVID-19 site.
Don’t focus on the details, just understand the trends, such as the 7-day or 14-day averages, he advised.
At the Friday, Oct. 2, KU Health System news conference, the topic will be about the hospital’s numbers and what the numbers mean.
Free testing continues Friday
Free tests are at the UG Health Department parking lot, 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. They are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is needed.
The tests are for those who live or work in Wyandotte County. Participants should bring something that shows their address or their work place, such as a piece of mail or a work badge.
The Health Department tests now are open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule because of the weather or for other reasons.
More information about testing is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19, or call 311.
The KU doctors’ news conference is https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/381960322960155.
The KDHE news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/KDHEnews/videos/341030597193783.
The Health Department has released its testing schedule for October, and it is online at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The Unified Government COVID-19 hub outbreak map at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.
To see an NEA list of schools that have had COVID-19 cases, visit https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=aa3f2ede7cb2415db943fdaf45866d2f.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The Unified Government Health Department is collecting information on people’s experiences getting tested for COVID-19 in Wyandotte County. The survey is on the UG website at https://us.openforms.com/Form/ea97a450-3d74-4d86-8d1f-6e340d55cf7c.
The UG Health Department school and sports guidance is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/09042020fallsportsrecommendations.pdf.
A previous UG sports order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/08132020localhealthofficerorderregardingsports.pdf.
The Wyandotte County school start order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.
The CDC’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.