Coronavirus updates: Kansas sees largest jump in cases as governor’s mask order takes effect

Kansas has hit a record high in new COVID-19 cases under a new reporting system that began May 13. The new system switched the days data is reported to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The latest Kansas Department of Health and Environment data shows a jump of 929 new cases, bringing the total to 15,919. The previous high of 905 cases was reported Monday. Before then, no reports have passed the 500s using the new reporting days.

The rising numbers come as Kansans kick off the holiday weekend and on the same day Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order requiring masks takes effect.

The increase could be because of additional testing, although health officials cautioned residents not to jump to that conclusion.

Health officials say a better indication of community spread worsening is percent of positive cases and hospitalizations. Both of those are trending up as well as deaths, according to KDHE data.

Deaths climbed by five to 277.

Available data for percent positive goes back until June 4, when roughly 4.7% of tests came back positive. On Thursday, about 11.9% of cases came back positive. Data for Friday showed 10.3% of cases come back positive, but that does not represent a full day of testing.

In all, there have been 175,642 negative tests, for a total positive testing rate of 8.3%.

Hospitalization data goes from June 14 to June 28. Hospitalizations during that time went from around 9.5 per day to a little more than 10, according to the trend line. The data lags five days because recent data “is expected to be incomplete.”

Counties have the ability to adopt or override Kelly’s order requiring masks. Sedgwick County Commissioners, in a 3-2 vote, chose Thursday to strongly recommend people wear their masks.

“I think it is fair to say the proportion of increase in testing ... is much smaller than the increase in cases,” Dr. Garold Minns, the county’s public health officer, told commissioners before the vote.

Minns also said hospitals have reported active hospitalizations in the upper 20s, and officials were worried about the trend they see and whether they would have enough staff at the current trajectory.

Sedgwick County had a jump of 196 cases, bringing the total to 1,564. The jump represents 21% of the new cases. Sedgwick County has the fourth most cases in the state and has also been trending upward in percent of positive cases.

Sedgwick County had about 7% of cases come back positive on Thursday, the latest day available. The rate was less than 1% on May 27, the day commissioners voted to lift all restrictions.

Sedgwick County has reported 28 deaths. Most of the county’s deaths have been tied to clusters at long-term care facilities.