Wichita COVID hospitalizations total 178 with 80 in ICU as positive test rate hits 23%

By every measure available, the coronavirus pandemic is worse than it has ever been in the Wichita area, according to the latest data provided by local and state government.

The number of people in Wichita hospitals with COVID-19 has nearly doubled in two weeks. During that time, nearly one in four people who were tested had the disease.

The coronavirus hospital situation in Wichita has worsened one week after a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations caused the city’s two major hospitals to hit their capacities for intensive care unit patients.

Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple, who is quarantined after a City Council member tested positive, said the dire situation was reported to local government leaders Monday afternoon during a conference call with hospital leaders.

Whipple said 80-90% of people in Wichita hospitals are from Sedgwick County, not outside areas.

“These aren’t just folks being flown in from outside counties or other states,” Whipple said. “It’s here, it’s real and it’s bad.”

Sedgwick County’s positive test rate passed 23% on Monday as Kansas health officials reported the worst week of the coronavirus pandemic in the Wichita area and statewide. That number includes testing data from last week, when the county began asymptomatic testing for the first time in months, a practice that could drop the positive test rate.

Also Monday, the state surpassed 100,000 total confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 as the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 5,920 new cases since Friday’s update. Sedgwick County had 1,394 of the new cases — or about 24% of the state’s new cases while having about 18% of the state’s population.

There were 15 new COVID-19 deaths reported over the weekend in Kansas. Data on deaths generally lags actual deaths as autopsies and death certificates can take weeks or longer to process.

There were also 71 new hospitalizations, including three children, and 13 new ICU admissions statewide. Sedgwick County had nine new hospitalizations and three new ICU admissions over the weekend, the KDHE reported.

“COVID is spreading uncontrollably through our community,” Whipple said. “Hospitalizations have nearly doubled in two weeks, and there’s no reason to believe that trend isn’t going to continue if we don’t get our act together.”

The Sedgwick County Health Department reported a high of 178 current COVID-19 hospitalizations on Monday — up from 111 a week ago and 90 the week before. Wesley Healthcare and Ascension Via Christi had 80 of those patients in ICU beds, which was an increase from 60 last week and 39 the week before. All 208 total estimated ICU beds are in use.

“Sedgwick County is on a dangerous trajectory, with a rapidly rising number of COVID-19 cases and increasing positive-test percentage,” the Medical Society of Sedgwick County said in a statement. “Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Medical Center are struggling to care for all the COVID patients. It is imperative that our community redoubles its effort to limit the spread of this virus. It’s also important not to put off needed medical care, including preventative care. Please wear a mask, practice social distancing, avoid crowds, and wash your hands frequently. Lives depend on it.”

The county’s health department reports the hospital status as “critical,” though “both hospitals are managing through contingency operations.”

The local health department also reported a new coronavirus cluster at a school, raising the total to five. The only location that has been publicly identified is Derby High School.

The positive test rate and the rate of new cases compared to population — which the county’s health director said are the two most important pandemic indicators — are the worst they have ever been in Wichita and Kansas.

For the two-week period ending Saturday, the KDHE reported a two-week positive test rate of 23.30% in Sedgwick County. The KDHE’s red zone threshold is 15% over two weeks, while the White House COVID-19 task force uses a red zone threshold of 10% over one week.

The one-week positive test rate was 26.82% in Sedgwick County, up from 19.44% the week before.

The KDHE reported 4,688 new confirmed and probable cases in Sedgwick County, equating to a two-week rate of 908 new cases per 100,000 people. That is more than six times higher than the red zone threshold of 150 new cases per 100,000 people.

It appears that 454 of those cases were probable, which generally means a patient who has symptoms and has been connected to a confirmed case, but the diagnosis has not been confirmed through testing.

The one-week rate for last week was 520 new cases per 100,000 people in Sedgwick County. That is more than five times higher than the White House COVID-19 task force’s red zone threshold of 100 per 100,000 in one week.

In Sedgwick County, the 10-17 age group had the worst one-week positive test rate at 29.29%. The worst one-week case rate was in the 18-24 age group at 815 new cases per 100,000 people.

In Kansas as a whole, the two week positive test rate was 17.52% and the two-week case rate was 713 per 100,000 people.

This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 1:21 PM.