Coronavirus update: Kansas reports 107 COVID-19 deaths on Friday

On Friday, Kansas Department of Health and Environment figures showed 6,234 more COVID-19 cases and 107 deaths since Wednesday. Kansas has had a total of 168,295 cases and 1,786 deaths.

The state averaged 37 reported COVID-19 deaths a day over the past week.

It’s the second time since the KDHE switched to reporting figures on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in mid-May that a report has surpassed 100 deaths. The first was on Wednesday, when 119 deaths were reported.

There were more reported deaths in the past week than in the first three months of the pandemic in Kansas, according to records.

Deaths reported the past week affected every adult age group. The 85-plus age group continues to have most of the deaths, with 659 or about 37%. Four deaths have occurred in the 18-24 age group. The youngest COVID-19 death in Kansas is 18.

Kansas also averaged 2,237 cases over the past week. The previous high was 2,718 cases a day during the third week of November. Cases peak in the 25-34 age group, which has 16.9% of all cases.

Hospital and intensive-care unit admissions for adults with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 also reached record levels this week, according to KDHE data going back to mid-July. The 65-74 age group has the most hospitalizations, with 1,170.

Health officials have expressed concern about seeing a jump across COVID-19 categories after Thanksgiving. Any spike in cases from Thanksgiving should start to show up next week.

November woes and December hopes

From Oct. 30 to Nov. 30, Kansas had an 84.9% increase in the total number of confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, according to KDHE statistics. The Kansas death count for COVID-19 increased by 531 in November, though it is unclear how many of those patients died in previous months and had delayed reporting on the coronavirus dashboard.

The November reported deaths represented more than a third of all deaths from the beginning of the pandemic to the start of December.

The percent of positive cases is an indicator used to detect community spread of the virus. November had a high of 18.3%, according to the KDHE. The next closest full month was 13.8% in April.

It’s at 18% so far in December.

Sedgwick County figures

Sedgwick County saw its cases rise by 1,147 to 29,764 on Friday, according to the KDHE. Sedgwick County has the most cases in Kansas.

Officials in Sedgwick County have reported 172 deaths.

The Sedgwick County cases represent roughly 18% of all cases and nearly 10% of all deaths. Sedgwick County had about 17.5% of the state’s population during the 2010 U.S. Census.

Sedgwick County had a 20% positivity rate on Wednesday, the latest day available on the Sedgwick County dashboard. The 14-day rolling average hadn’t surpassed 15% until November. The record-high of more than 23% came in mid-November.

This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 2:46 PM.