Coronavirus updates: Kansas top health official says COVID-19 numbers are ‘terrifying’
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Friday reported 5,418 new COVID-19 cases and 79 deaths. The numbers since Wednesday appear to be the highest number of new cases and second-highest number of additional deaths since the KDHE started reporting figures in mid-May on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The only day with more deaths was Oct. 21 when there were 80 reported — and that number was based on a review from previous death records that boosted the number. Friday’s report had no such indication.
The number of new cases reported last week was not accurate because of an update in the KDHE’s reporting system. The KDHE indicated how many cases were wrong in the reports but didn’t mention specific days those occurred. A KDHE spokesperson said those cases came on a range of days so it doesn’t appear likely that it would surpass the 5,418 reported Friday. The closest reported day with no revisions was 4,046 new cases on Monday.
KDHE secretary Dr. Lee Norman on Friday posted on social media about the surge of new cases and “capacity issues” at Kansas hospitals. He said the new COVID-19 numbers, hospital staffing problems and COVID-19 cases at the hospitals are “terrifying to me.”
“If you are sick, please stay home and contact your healthcare provider,” he wrote.
This week, Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Medical Center — Wichita’s largest hospitals — ran out of intensive care unit beds and saw their highest number of COVID-19 patients. The hospitals moved to “contingency operations,” according to a Sedgwick County spokesperson.
Adrienne Byrne, the director of the Sedgwick County Health Department, said the “why” in the surge of cases is unknown.
“What this (report) doesn’t tell us is why — why are these numbers increasing? ... We really don’t know,” Byrne said.
On Sept. 30, Norman, the top health official in Kansas, predicted cases could soon reach an average of 800 or 900 a day, according to the Associated Press. At the time, Kansas was averaging around 650 cases and nine deaths a day. This week, Kansas averaged 1,779 cases and 20 deaths a day.
Additionally the percent of positive cases has risen sharply. It started mostly rising since around Oct. 8 when the percent of positive cases was 6.4%. It’s been over 15% since Oct. 29 and saw a high of 20.2% on Nov. 4 — the highest on available data going back to Aug. 9.
Kansas has had a total of 97,633 cases and 1,166 deaths.
Sedgwick County numbers
Sedgwick County had an increase of 1,144 cases, which is about 21% of the new cases. Sedgwick County had about 18% of the Kansas population in the 2010 U.S. Census.
With 15,838 cases, Sedgwick County has about 16.2% of all state cases, according to KDHE figures. Only Johnson County’s 17,858 is higher.
Sedgwick County officials have reported 137 deaths.
Wesley Healthcare adjusts visitor policy
Starting Monday, Wesley Healthcare will only allow patients to have one visitor a day as “COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continue to rise across the state,” the healthcare system said in a news release on Friday. Only the main entrance at Wesley Medical Center and Wesley Woodlawn Hospital & ER will be accessible to visitors, who will have to sign in. That person will be the patient’s only visitor for the 24 hours that follow.
New number to call for COVID-19 tests, questions
Sedgwick County residents with COVID-19 questions or trying to schedule a test through the Sedgwick County Health Department should now call 316-660-1022, officials said Friday. The number replaces calling the United Way of the Plains COVID-19 line at 211. Testing can be done at no cost through the health department. The new number at the health department call center will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, according to a Sedgwick County news release. If the call is not answered, leave a message and someone will call back within two business days, the release says. Both asymptomatic and symptomatic people can be tested.
This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 2:11 PM.