KANSAS CITY METRO SURPASSES 250K CASES SINCE PANDEMIC’S START
As the average of new COVID-19 cases reached a record high on Tuesday, the region has now seen more than a quarter of a million total cases since the pandemic began.
On Tuesday, the seven-day average hit 2,100 per day, according to data maintained by The Star. Officials in the area — which includes Kansas City and Jackson, Platte, Clay, Wyandotte and Johnson counties — have reported 14,839 new cases within the past week, bringing the full tally to 252,126 since the start of the public health crisis.
Forty more people have also died within the past week, The Star reported. The death toll for the area currently stands at 3,429.
CHILDREN’S MERCY SEES NEW HIGH OF COVID-19 PATIENTS
Children’s Mercy reported that 27 kids were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, the highest child patient load the hospital has seen since the start of the pandemic.
Cases across the area and the nation have been largely driven by the omicron variant. Dr. Angela Myers, the Infectious Diseases Division director at Children’s Mercy, said that because of how highly contagious omicron is, more people overall will become hospitalized “even if it causes less severe disease overall.”
Medical experts recommend eligible children get the vaccine to prevent getting COVID-19. Children under 12 are still ineligible for a booster shot, while those younger than 5 currently can’t get vaccinated against COVID-19 at all. For this reason, Myers recommends a variety of safety measures to keep kids from being infected.
“Encouraging your kid to wear a mask, even if it’s not required in school, I think is really critical,” she said. “[So is] washing your hands frequently, sneezing and coughing in your elbow, staying home when you’re sick, [and] getting tested if you have symptoms, even if your symptoms are mild.” (The Kansas City Star)
