Coronavirus updates: Kansas hits 1,588 cases and 80 deaths, with 217 Sedgwick Co. cases
Here is the Wichita-area news to know on the coronavirus pandemic for Thursday, April 15. For updates from Wednesday, click here.
New Kansas coronavirus numbers
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports that 1,588 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the state, with 217 of those patients in Sedgwick County. There have been 80 deaths in Kansas attributed to COVID-19, and three of those have been in Sedgwick County.
The state case count is up 94, the Sedgwick County case count is up eight and the state death count is up four.
Statewide, at least 359 people have been hospitalized, though hospitalization data is not available in about 19% of cases.
Patients range in age from infant to 99 years old, with an average age of 52 and a median age of 52.
There have been 14,534 negative tests.
The Sedgwick County Health Department report, which comes out after the KDHE report, lists 219 patients. Of those, 91 have recovered. Epidemiologists have determined 32 of the local cases are travel-related, 103 patients had close contact with another case, 69 are likely community spread and 15 are still being investigated.
There have been 2,166 people tested in Sedgwick County. The local testing rate is 4.20 people per 1,000 population.
In the Wichita area, Reno County has 13 cases and a testing rate of 4.98. Butler County has 10 and 3.57, Harvey County has five and 3.37, Sumner County has three and 2.67, Cowley County has one and 3.04, and Kingman County has zero and 3.36.
In the Kansas City area, Wyandotte County has 379 cases — the most in the state — and a testing rate of 9.54. Johnson County has 343 and 5.48, Leavenworth County has 114 and 10.15, and Douglas County has 42 and 8.84.
Wichita business district closes for ‘duration of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis’
The Douglas Design District announced that it will close for the “duration of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, due in part to the uncertainty regarding a petition protesting the establishment of a Business Improvement District along East Douglas.” Opponents of forming the BID had submitted a petition with the city, but the petition is at a standstill because of city-employee furloughs during the pandemic, according to a news release.
KDHE projections
Wednesday’s case and death counts were close to projections, KDHE Secretary Lee Norman said in a tweet. Early projections done on April 1 predicted 1,587 cases and 84 deaths on April 15. The actual numbers for April 15 were 1,494 cases and 76 deaths. The April 16 numbers were 1,588 cases and 80 deaths.
“Can’t get much closer than that! Forecasting is very tricky,” Norman tweeted.
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 12:14 PM.