COVID case numbers rose slightly this week in Kansas City as hospitalizations stagnate

COVID-19 cases rose slightly this week in Kansas City but remain low compared to the case numbers seen during the omicron variant wave around this time last year.

“I’m pleased we didn’t see some terrible post-holiday surge,” said Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, in a Wednesday news briefing.

“We’re in a much better time (nationwide), but we have to remember there’s still a lot of COVID out there — probably three times as much as there is influenza, so it’s still a big deal.”

Here’s the latest COVID-19 data in the Kansas City area.

What does Kansas City’s COVID-19 data look like this week?

Local health departments reported 975 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, up from 879 the previous week. That brings the metro’s seven-day average up to around 139 new cases per day, compared to around 126 per day the previous week.

Since many people are taking COVID tests at home, which aren’t publicly recorded, experts say real case totals are likely anywhere from two to five times higher than what data shows.

Neither Kansas nor Missouri are reporting deaths at the county level. You can check the statewide COVID-19 death totals for Missouri here and for Kansas here.

How are hospitals holding up?

The University of Kansas Health System is treating 26 patients with active COVID-19 infections, up from 25 patients last week. Four patients were in the ICU yesterday with two on ventilators, compared to six ICU patients and all six on ventilators last week.

“In the past couple of weeks we’ve seen a decrease from the 40s to around where we’re sitting now,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, the hospital’s medical director of infection prevention and control, in reference to the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19. “We’ve been holding in the mid-20s.”

MARC hospitalization data shows an average of 17 new hospitalizations per day in the Kansas City area as of Monday, down from 19 per day last week.

What are the COVID-19 risk levels in the Kansas City area?

Clay, Platte and Jackson counties rose to a “medium” community level of COVID-19 this week, joining Wyandotte County. This classification means that the CDC recommends maintaining good ventilation, getting up to date on your vaccines and boosters, and wearing a mask if you are immunocompromised or indoors with someone who is.

Johnson County fell to a “low” community level. This classification means that medical care is readily available in the county for COVID-19.

Clay, Platte, Jackson and Johnson counties remained at a “high” transmission level of COVID-19 in the past week, while Wyandotte County remained at a “substantial” transmission level. Both of these rankings mean that your risk of catching COVID-19 in public is elevated due to the robust spread of the virus.

What do I need to know about vaccines?

Part of Kansas City’s defense against the most active COVID-19 variants are the new bivalent booster shots, which are available at clinics around the metro. These boosters offer protection from both the original COVID-19 and several strains of the omicron variant.

The vaccine is also thought to be effective against the new XBB lineage. According to 17 researchers who wrote in to the New England Journal of Medicine on Dec. 21, “Persons who received the BA.5-containing bivalent booster had better neutralizing activity against all omicron subvariants (especially against BA.2.75.2, BQ.1.1, and XBB) than those who received either one or two monovalent boosters.”

While this new variant is somewhat more evasive to antibodies than prior variants have been, the bivalent booster shot is still thought to provide some protection from the XBB strain.

Anyone who has received an initial COVID-19 vaccination, including children as young as five years old, can get one of these new shots. The shots, which became available last fall, can be found at local health departments, clinics and pharmacies around the metro. These single-dose shots are only meant to be taken once.

So far, 62.5% of Missourians and 57.5% of Kansans have completed a primary series of COVID-19 vaccines. Additionally, 14.7% of Missourians and 12.3% of Kansans have received a bivalent booster. You can find county-level vaccination data through the CDC here.

Do you have more questions about staying safe from COVID-19 in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.