Coronavirus update: Kansas sees fewest new deaths since mid-August

The 18 COVID-19 deaths reported over the past week are fewer than half of the 39 reported the prior week and the least in any weekly report since mid-August.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s numbers reported Friday continue the downward trend of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations. The KDHE reported 606 cases, five deaths and 46 hospitalizations on Friday, bringing the totals to 299,510, 4,842 and 9,604.

Last month, one of the thrice-weekly reports had more than 2,600 cases, a record 206 deaths and 102 hospitalizations. The record is based on when the KDHE switched to reporting figures on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays back in mid-May.

Weekly COVID-19 cases have been mostly dropping since a week span that included the end of December and the beginning of January. There were more than 18,000 reported cases that week. There were 1,762 over the past week.

Death by date of occurrence has fallen dramatically since hitting a high of 61 deaths on Dec. 22. Those figures are available through March 15, and show a high this month of seven deaths on March 4. Although, those numbers can change as death certificates are reviewed.

Hospitalizations and new admissions to intensive care units, both for confirmed or suspected COVID-19, have been trending down since the beginning of December.

Vaccine

In Kansas, 22.2% of people have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, up from 20.5% on Wednesday.

Nearly 647,000 Kansans have received a first dose and nearly 321,000 people have received their second dose, according to the KDHE.

Sedgwick County

Since Wednesday, Sedgwick County COVID-19 cases have increased by 53 to 54,455, according to the KDHE.

Deaths increased by two to 721, the figures show.

Sedgwick County has more than 18% of the state’s COVID-19 cases and nearly 15% of the deaths. Sedgwick County had about 17.5% of the Kansas population in the 2010 U.S. Census.