Coronavirus updates: Kansas case count jumps 454 over the weekend with one new death

The number of Kansas coronavirus cases jumped by 454 over the weekend, public health officials report.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s coronavirus pandemic report on Monday listed 8,340 cases of COVID-19 in the state, up from 7,886 on Friday. The statewide death count is 173, which is an increase of one.

The KDHE reported no change in Sedgwick County case numbers over the weekend, which is at 512.

The KDHE numbers include confirmed and probable cases, but the number of probable cases is not detailed in the health department’s statistics. Probable cases are defined as someone who has symptoms and has been linked to a confirmed COVID-19 patient.

There have been 58,650 negative tests in Kansas.

With 8,177 residents tested in Sedgwick County, the local testing rate is 15.8 people per 1,000 population. That is the lowest testing rate of the nine counties with at least 100 cases.

The other eight counties are Ford County with 1,403 cases and a testing rate of 108 per 1,000 people, Finney County with 1,281 (68.6), Wyandotte County with 1,178 (36.8), Leavenworth County with 1,051 (52.7), Seward County with 780 (90.5), Johnson County with 666 (21.5), Lyon County with 359 (32.2) and Shawnee County with 198 (28.9).

Cases have been identified in 84 of Kansas’ 105 counties. In the Wichita area, Reno County has 51 cases, Butler County has 23, Harvey County has 14, Sumner County has six, Cowley County has four and Kingman County has zero.

Patients range in age from infant to 100 years old. The median age is 42 and the average is 43. The youngest person to die from COVID-19 in Kansas was 36. The oldest was 99, and the median is 81.

At least 740 patients with COVID-19 have been hospitalized, but hospitalization data is only available in about 63% of cases. There have been 250 admissions to intensive care units, and 115 patients have required mechanical ventilation. There have been 465 patients discharged from hospitals.

In cases where race and ethnicity data are available, Asian, black or African American and Hispanic or Latino communities continue to be disproportionately affected.

Race data is available in about 78% of cases. The white population is testing positive at a rate of about 194 people per 100,000 population. The case rates are about 453 per 100,000 for Asians, 396 per 100,000 for Black and African American people, about 42 per 100,000 for American Indians or Alaska natives, and about 207 per 100,000 for all other races combined.

Ethnicity data is available in about 80% of cases. The case rate for Hispanic or Latino people is 9.65 per 100,000 people, which is more than seven times the rate of 1.28 per 100,000 for people who are not Hispanic or Latino.

In other coronavirus pandemic news from Monday:

Sedgwick County coronavirus update

The Sedgwick County Health Department reported an increase of one case on Monday, from 535 to 536. No new deaths were attributed to COVID-19, keeping the local death count at 20.

Discrepancies between county and state numbers can be due to confirmed cases from one health department not yet being finalized with the other, officials have said.

There have been 362 patients who have recovered, which is an increase of one. A person is considered to have recovered from the coronavirus 72 hours after symptoms stop or 10 days after symptoms start, whichever is longer.

Of the 536 cases, epidemiologists have determined about 66% had close contact with another confirmed case, about 24% are likely community spread, about 8% are travel-related and about 2% are under investigation.

Epidemiologists have not identified any new clusters in the county. There are 10 known clusters, including outbreaks at three long-term care facilities, three businesses, three religious centers and one correctional facility.

At least 99 Sedgwick County residents have been hospitalized and at least 71 have been discharged. The hospitalization data includes information through May 9. County officials say there is a delay in hospitalization data reporting to ensure accuracy.

KDHE influenza update

The KDHE weekly influenza surveillance report listed 136 deaths for the 2019-20 flu season. There was no change from last week.

The report listed the flu as the direct cause of death for 112 patients and a contributing cause in another 24 cases. The 136 influenza deaths for the 2019-20 flu season have surpassed the 97 people who died in the last flu season, which runs from Sept. 1 to May 31.

Medical center visits for influenza-like illnesses peaked in February.

The first case of COVID-19 in Kansas was reported on March 7. The first death was reported on March 12. Coronavirus deaths passed seasonal flu deaths two weeks ago.

The World Health Organization director general has said that coronavirus causes a more severe disease than seasonal influenza and the death rate of infected patients is much higher. Additionally, there are vaccines and treatments for the flu, but not for COVID-19.

Sedgwick County District Court to start reopening

Sedgwick County District Court will start reopening after Memorial Day, on May 26, Judicial District Chief Judge Jeffrey Goering announced on Monday.

Court hearings will be by appointment only, and entrance into the courthouse will require COVID-19 screening. Those who pass will be issued a face mask that is to be worn at all times. Those who fail the screening will be given instructions on how to reschedule their hearing.

Jury trials will not resume until further notice, and traffic court is planned to resume on June 15.

The reopening is being done in accordance with administrative orders of the Kansas Supreme Court. Additional information on how to conduct court business remotely, including applying for marriage licenses and protection orders, is available online at www.dc18.org.

Kohl’s reopens Kansas stores

Kohl’s announced that Kansas stores are reopening on Monday. The company said it “has made significant enhancements to the store environment and staff operations to prioritize the health and safety of Kohl’s customers and associates.”

This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 12:18 PM.