Coronavirus update: No new Kansas deaths reported for first time in more than 7 months
No new COVID-19 deaths were listed in Friday’s Kansas Department of Health and Environment report, making it the first time no deaths have been reported in the thrice-weekly reports since mid-July.
The 752 new cases reported Friday also continue a downward trend of new cases. The KDHE reported about 2,200 cases over the past week, less than the record of roughly 19,000 cases reported during a week in November.
The cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been dropping, but health officials say it’s not time to let down your guard. The KDHE reported 81 people dying from COVID-19 during the past week — the lowest since a week in October.
“For all of us, we still have to take COVID-19 seriously,” Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said during the hospital’s virtual media briefing this week. “It’s still out there. I think we are still concerned about the next possible surge that could occur in April and May as people get back out, they get together again, the bars and restaurants are clearly opening more and we see people coming together in different venues, I know there are concerts starting to be planned.”
New cases listed by the day symptoms started have been mostly declining since hitting a high of 3,881 on Nov. 9, according to KDHE data.
Adult hospitalizations and admissions to the intensive care unit, both for confirmed or suspected COVID-19, have been mostly falling since reaching a high in early December.
Deaths by date shows the daily number has been mostly dropping since hitting a high of 63 on Dec. 22.
Kansas has had a total of 295,861 COVID-19 cases, 9,387 hospitalizations and 4,812 deaths.
Sedgwick County
Since Wednesday, COVID-19 cases in Sedgwick County increased by 132 to 53,962, KDHE data shows. Sedgwick County’s cases are the second most in the state; Johnson County has the most with 54,730 cases.
The next closest is Wyandotte County with 19,307 cases.
Sedgwick County reported one death bringing the total to 712, the KDHE data shows.
Vaccine
Since Wednesday, the number of Kansans receiving the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine increased by 27,748 to 439,127. Of those, 219,306 have received the second dose, according to the KDHE.
Roughly 15.1% of Kansans have received one dose, up from 14.1% on Wednesday.
Kansas has received 76,050 more vaccines since Wednesday, bringing the total delivered to 1,015,940.
Contributing: Jason Tidd of The Eagle
This story was originally published March 5, 2021 at 1:28 PM.