KDHE lists 37 new COVID deaths in Kansas. Wichita had zero, local officials report
State public health officials reported 37 more people have died from the coronavirus disease. Local officials report none were from Wichita or Sedgwick County.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Monday listed 37 new deaths from COVID-19 that were reported since Friday. There were also 4,724 new cases, 95 new hospitalizations and 20 more admissions to intensive care units.
All of the new deaths were in patients aged 45 and older; every age group had at least one new hospitalization.
The state has now had 190,018 cases, 5,895 hospitalizations and 2,109 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic started.
Sedgwick County had 845 new cases, 12 new hospitalizations and three more ICU admissions over the weekend, according to the KDHE. The county has had a total of 33,554 cases, which is the most of any county in the state.
The Sedgwick County Health Department’s weekly update on the Wichita hospital status showed local ICUs are still full. The approximately 208 ICU beds at Wesley Healthcare and Ascension Via Christi hospitals have been full since the start of November, with the status labeled as “critical.”
Current COVID-19 hospitalizations are down slightly from a week ago. There were 140 COVID-19 patients in the hospitals on Monday, while the number was 141 last Monday. There were 76 of those patients in the ICU, which was down from 78.
No new deaths were reported by the local health department over the weekend, keeping the total at 199. The local agency did not report any new coronavirus clusters.
The KDHE reported two-week rates for Sedgwick County of 905 new cases per 100,000 residents and a positive test rate of 19.99%. The red zone for those two school reopening criteria are greater than 150 new cases per 100,000 people and 15% positivity.
Hunter Health expands COVID-19 testing
Hunter Health has expanded its COVID-19 testing in Sedgwick County ahead of the Christmas holiday.
The clinic is encouraging people to get tested if they plan to spend time with family and friends in-person. Public health experts recommend taking precautions, including quarantining for two weeks prior to the gathering.
“You can gather with your family on Christmas day thinking you are symptom free and healthy. Two days later, you can wake up not feeling well and test positive for COVID-19,” Dr. Rogena Johnson, Hunter Health’s Chief Medial Officer, said in a news release. “Now, you have exposed everyone at the Christmas gathering.”
Drive-through testing times are now Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 2:30-5:30 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled by calling the clinic at 316-262-2415. Same-day appointments are available with the expanded hours.
Symptomatic patients may receive a rapid test with results available within 24 hours. Clinic testing capacity is now 100 tests per day, up from 60 per day.
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 12:49 PM.