Coronavirus updates: Kansas sees one of worst weeks for cases and deaths

The thrice-weekly COVID-19 report released Friday showed an increase of 1,855 cases and 40 deaths.

Twenty-six of the new deaths were reported in Shawnee County after local health officials reviewed previous death certificates, The Associated Press reported. Sedgwick County saw 10 additional deaths after reviewing records from deaths in August and September, according to a Sedgwick County spokesperson. It’s unclear if the Sedgwick County deaths were part of the 40.

The statewide totals reported on Monday, Wednesday and Friday brought the weekly number to 4,696 cases and 65 deaths — the highest case week and third-highest week for such deaths since the Kansas Department of Health and Environment switched its reporting days on May 13.

Kansas now has 65,807 cases and 763 deaths, according to the KDHE dashboard.

“Other states are doing bad, and we’re doing worse than most,” KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman told The Associated Press, or AP. “We’re losing the battle right now.”

Here’s a breakdown of the cases and deaths by age group and the increase from Wednesday’s report:

Cases:

Ages birth to 9: increased 56 to 1,921 cases; 2.9% of all cases

10-17: increased 138 to 4,179 cases; 6.4%

18-24: increased 279 to 13,851 cases; 21%

25-34: increased 334 to 11,587 cases; 17.6%

35-44: increased 259 to 9,976 cases; 15.2%

45-54: increased 233 to 9,243 cases; 14%

55-64: increased 230 to 7,254 cases; 11%

65-74: increased 140 to 4,051 cases; 6.2%

75-84: increased 111 to 2,201 cases; 3.3%

85 and up: increased 72 to 1,454 cases; 2.2%

Not reported: increased three to 90; 0.1%

Deaths:

Ages 18-24: held at three deaths; 0.4% of all deaths

25-34: held at eight deaths; 1%

35-44: increased two to 13; 1.7%

45-54: increased two to 33; 4.3%

55-64: increased four to 84; 11%

65-74: increased nine to 164; 21.5%

75-84: increased 11 to 206; 27%

85 and up: increased 12 to 252; 33%

Sedgwick County saw its cases increase 240 to 9,839, which is the second most cases only behind Johnson County. Sedgwick County’s 10 newly reported deaths bring the county total to 104, according to the Sedgwick County Health Department dashboard.

Associated Press data

The state saw an average of 671 new cases a day for the seven days ending Friday, breaking the state’s previous record of 667 for the seven days ending Sept. 28. The state has seen that seven-day average hit or exceed 600 cases per day for five of the six reports it has issued in the past two weeks.

Norman said last week that new cases could increase to as many as 900 a day on average in the coming months, the AP reported.

COVID-19-related deaths have for about a month hovered around 1.1% of reported cases, but with Friday’s report, the figure was 1.16%, the highest in almost two months.

“One of the things that we just have to collectively as a state start working together with is what are the social and psychological underpinnings for the reasons why we’re going the direction we’re going,” Norman told the AP. “Our curve is going absolutely the wrong direction.”