Coronavirus update: Kansas adds 271 cases, breaking day-old record for biggest increase
Here is the Wichita-area news to know on the coronavirus pandemic for Thursday, April 23. For updates from Wednesday, click here.
New coronavirus numbers in Kansas
The day after the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported the biggest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases, that record has been broken again.
The KDHE Thursday report listed 2,482 COVID-19 cases in the state, up from 2,211 on Wednesday. The 271 new cases follow 186 new cases on Wednesday — the previous record for largest daily jump in cases during the pandemic.
About 22% of the increase can be attributed to Sedgwick County, where the KDHE report added 59 cases. The state count for the county went from 265 to 314.
Statewide, two more people died from the coronavirus, moving the death count to 112. One of the deaths was in Sedgwick County.
The Sedgwick County Health Department reports 316 cases with 144 recoveries. Six people have died. The county health department case count does not always match the KDHE report because of delays in reporting.
Epidemiologists have determined 36 of the cases are travel-related, 168 patients had close contact with another patient, 76 are likely community spread and 36 are under investigation.
Sixty-six local patients have been hospitalized, and statewide there have been 447 hospitalizations.
Patients in Kansas range in age from infant to 99 years old with an average of 50 and a median of 49.
There have been 18,836 negative tests. Sedgwick County has had 2,853 people tested, for a testing rate of 5.53 per 1,000 population.
In the Wichita area, Reno County has 16 cases, Butler County has 13, Harvey County has five, Sumner County has three, Cowley County has one and Kingman County has zero.
In cases with racial information available, the rate of infection among black and African American people is more than two and a half times that of white people. The racial disparity is greater in cases with deaths, where black and African American people have died at a rate more than seven times that of white people.
In cases with ethnicity information available, Hispanic or Latino people account for about 32% of patients.
Emergency food packages available
The Kansas Department for Children and Families announced emergency food packages for households impacted by the coronavirus. The program was triggered after a national emergency was declared during the pandemic. The program provides a “variety of canned meats, vegetables, fruits, rice, dried beans, peanut butter and in some cases frozen meats and fresh milk” on a first-come, first-served basis, according to a news release. The distributions are expected to last through May 6.
There are no income restrictions and anyone in need because of the coronavirus may receive a food package. Distribution sites set their own times and dates. A list of the locations, including the 20-plus in Sedgwick County, can be found here.
Scammers target COVID-19 stimulus dollars
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations warned about scammers targeting the stimulus dollars Congress approved for each household. The payments started being deposited into people’s bank accounts April 11, according to a news release. “For the unbanked, retirees or other groups” who traditionally received a paper check as a tax refund will also receive in the payment in a check.
‘Scammers may try to get you to sign over your check to them or use this as an opportunity to get you to ‘verify’ your filing information in order to receive your money, and then use your personal information at a later date to file false tax returns in an identity theft scheme,” the agencies said. “Because of this, everyone receiving a COVID-19 related economic impact payment from the government is at risk.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 11:12 AM.