Kansas City COVID cases highest since omicron, hospitals feel strain of BA.5 variant

For the first time during the most recent pandemic wave, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified all five counties that make up Kansas City as having “medium” community levels of COVID-19. This means that the healthcare system is feeling the strain of rising case numbers.

All counties remain at “high” transmission levels, which means that your risk of catching the highly contagious BA.5 variant in public is elevated. While local experts hope that infections will begin to stagnate, case numbers in the metro are the highest this week that they’ve been since the omicron variant surge.

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

The CDC classifies COVID-19 levels by county in two ways. “Community levels” tell us how easy it is to access care for COVID-19 in your area, using statistics like hospital bed availability and ICU capacity. “Community transmission levels,” on the other hand, give a sense of how likely you are to catch the virus while out in public.

All five counties that make up the Kansas City metro area have risen to a “medium” community level and remain at “high” transmission levels. This means that your risk of catching COVID-19 is elevated throughout the metro, while access to medical care is feeling the strain of the latest wave.

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

Officials reported a total of 3,128 new cases in the Kansas City area over the past week. That’s higher than last week’s total of 2,859 new cases. This past week saw an average of around 447 cases per day in the metro area, while the previous week’s average was 408 cases per day over seven days.

While these numbers may offer a small glimpse at the true prevalence of COVID-19 in Kansas City, experts say real case totals are likely anywhere from two to five times higher than what data shows. Some residents– though we don’t know how many– have recently caught the virus for the first time after avoiding it for over two years.

The state of Missouri is no longer reporting death counts at the county level. Neither Johnson County nor Wyandotte County reported any new deaths this week. That keeps the Kansas City metro area’s death total at at least 4,336 since the pandemic began.

How are hospitals holding up?

The University of Kansas Health System is treating 21 patients with active COVID-19 infections, down from 25 at this time last week. Two of these patients are in the ICU, and both are on ventilators.

“Around the nation, cases are hitting a somewhat stagnant level,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, the hospital’s medical director of infection prevention and control in a news briefing Friday. “We do know that the virus is circulating in a high amount around our community… If you look at the MARC data dashboard for COVID-19, it looks like there’s a slight continued up-trend in hospitalizations.”

MARC, or the Mid-America Regional Council, tracks COVID-19 and other data in the broader Kansas City region. Hawkinson added that the BA.5 variant is now the dominant strain in the United States, and encouraged vaccination to reduce the risk of severe disease.

How vaccinated is the Kansas City area?

Vaccination rates in the area are rising slowly, with 62.86% of the population fully vaccinated in the Kansas City region. Eastern Kansas has a higher vaccination rate, at 71.30%, than western Missouri does at 56.56%.

Getting vaccinated and obtaining a booster shot is still the most effective way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Both mRNA booster shots (Pfizer and Moderna) are safe and effective at reducing the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death.

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