LIVE UPDATES: Confirmed cases of COVID-19 climb in Kansas City metro area
The Kansas City metro area continues to adjust to stay-at-home orders that have been issued to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
What you need to know
- The novel coronavirus has infected more than 1.93 million people and killed more than 120,000 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. There are also now more than 3 million people that have been tested for COVID-19.
- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Wednesday the state has 1,494 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and there have been 76 deaths.
- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Wednesday 147 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in the state and there are almost 4,900 confirmed cases.
- Stay-at-home orders are now in effect for both Kansas and Missouri.
WEDNESDAY
7:30 p.m. -- Public health directors in the nine-county Kansas City metropolitan area issued a recommendation Wednesday to extend local stay-at-home orders through May 15 to slow the spread of COVID-19. READ MORE.
5:15 p.m. -- The Unified Government of Wyandotte County Health Department is reporting three more deaths since Monday at the Riverbend Post Acute Rehab Facility in Kansas City, Kansas. Fifteen have died so far. Two more residents and four more staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 since Monday. Four additional people are in the hospital.
4:20 p.m. -- Silver Dollar City has announced it is preparing to lay off 257 workers amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Branson-area amusement park, which touts 2.2 million visitors each year, informed the Missouri Office of Workforce Development of the layoffs in a letter dated Tuesday. READ MORE
3:45 p.m. -- Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said during his daily press briefing he will address the state’s stay-at-home order on Thursday.
Currently, Missouri’s stay-at-home order is set to expire on April 24. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced on Wednesday that the Sunflower State had extended its stay-at-home order through May 3, and leaders in Kansas City and St. Louis have said they are considering extending orders in their cities.
“Tomorrow, we will address the stay-at-home Missouri order after a number of conversations with local elected officials and other governors,” Parson said. “We will also begin looking at a plan to reopen Missouri.
“I want to assure everyone that public health remains our first priority. As governor, I have no greater responsibility than protecting the health and safety of all Missourians. Right now, testing and social distancing are the most important factors to getting COVID-19 under control.”
2:15 p.m. -- Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday that she has extended the statewide stay-at-home order to May 3 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The original order was set to expire on April 19. READ MORE
2 p.m. -- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Wednesday the Show-Me state has reached 4,895 cases of COVID-19 and 147 deaths have been reported.
The new numbers mean that Missouri saw an increase of 209 cases from Tuesday and 14 additional deaths were reported. The state said it has tested approximately 48,803 people. READ MORE
1:45 p.m. -- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Wednesday the Sunflower State has reached 1,494 cases of COVID-19, and 76 deaths have been reported statewide. The new numbers mean Kansas saw an increase of 68 cases from Tuesday, and seven additional deaths were reported. There have also been 13,174 negative tests, according to the state. READ MORE
Noon -- Regional leaders in St. Louis and Kansas City may decide by the end of the week whether to extend stay-at-home orders in Missouri's two largest urban areas, regardless of whether the statewide mandate is allowed to expire. READ MORE
10:25 a.m. -- The Wyandotte County Health Department said Wednesday morning the county has 17 new COVID-19 cases and one new death has been connected to coronavirus-related ailments. The county said it has 361 cases and 31 deaths overall with 187 people self-reporting they have COVID-19. The 66112 ZIP code continues to be the area of biggest concentration in Wyandotte County with 127 confirmed cases.
9 a.m. -- The Johnson County Department of Health said Wednesday morning the county has 15 new COVID-19 cases and three new deaths have been connected to coronavirus-related ailments. The county said it has 332 cases and 19 deaths overall with 2,912 negative tests, 21 probable cases and it's also tested 3,244 people. The county said the overall positive rate is currently at 10.2%.
7 a.m. -- The Kansas Supreme Court has canceled arguments from attorneys over a civil rights’ group attempt to force the state to release prison inmates with preexisting medical conditions making them vulnerable to the novel coronavirus.
The high court acted Tuesday night with arguments originally set for Wednesday afternoon in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas for seven inmates at state prisons in Ellsworth, Lansing and Topeka.
The Supreme Court sent the case to district court in Leavenworth County, home to the Lansing prison. The Supreme Court concluded there disputes about facts that needed to be settled.
TUESDAY
6:45 p.m. -- The Wyandotte County Health Department is reporting 344 positive cases of COVID-19 and 30 deaths.
5:45 p.m. -- Missouri announced Tuesday it will temporarily allow restaurants to sell premixed alcoholic beverages "to go." Sandy Karsten, the Director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety, said waving the restrictions will help Show-Me State restaurants regain liquor sales lost during the COVID-19 outbreak. READ MORE
4:10 p.m. -- Meadow View Health & Rehabilitation in Harrisonville, said four more residents have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, while 11 residents and two more staff have tested negative. Four additional tests are pending. A total of 14 residents have tested positive to date, with 12 of them remaining in isolation on site and two recovering in the hospital. Two employees that previously tested positive remain at home recovering in quarantine.
3:30 p.m. -- The Kansas Supreme Court plans to hear arguments from attorneys Wednesday over a civil rights group’s attempt to force the state to release prison inmates with preexisting medical conditions making them vulnerable to the novel coronavirus. READ MORE
2:30 p.m. -- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said the Show-Me State has reached 4,686 cases of COVID-19 and 133 deaths have been reported. The new numbers mean that Missouri saw an increase of 348 cases from Monday and 19 additional deaths were reported. The state said it has tested approximately 47,680 people. READ MORE
1:45 p.m. -- Leaders of the University of Missouri System are considering layoffs, unpaid leave and other ways to contain costs due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Tuesday.
University of Missouri System President Mun Choi said in a statement that major sources of funding “will remain under stress for some time to come.” He said that effective May 1, he and system vice presidents, chancellors, deans at the four universities and other leaders are taking 10% salary cuts that will last until at least July 31.
Meanwhile, budget planners at each university are developing plans for cuts of up to 15%. Some budget-cutting decisions will be made by April 30, the university system said.
12:15 p.m. -- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Monday the Sunflower State has reached 1,426 cases of COVID-19, and 69 deaths have been reported statewide.
The new numbers mean Kansas saw an increase of 50 cases from Monday, and seven additional deaths were reported. There have also been 12,721 negative tests, according to the state. READ MORE
10:40 a.m. -- Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday she recommends all Kansans wear face masks while out in public. Kelly posted the request on her social media accounts Tuesday morning. READ MORE
10:30 a.m. -- The Johnson County Department of Health said the county now has 317 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 16 deaths have been connected to coronavirus-related ailments. Health officials did say there have been 2,807 negative tests in the county.
9 a.m. -- Kansas officials announced Monday that 113 inmates at a work-release facility have been relocated after a resident tested positive for the coronavirus amid a fight to control an outbreak at another facility.
The Kansas Department of Corrections said the inmates who were relocated Sunday night lived in the same housing unit as the infected resident at the Wichita Work Release Facility.
They were moved to a newly reconstructed building at the Lansing Correctional Facility, which is battling its own outbreak with 18 inmates and 21 staff testing positive.
MONDAY
6:05 p.m. -- Jackson County officials said Monday that three inmates at the Jackson County Detention Center have tested positive for COVID-19. READ MORE.
6 p.m. -- The Wyandotte County Health Department says four more people have died from COVID-19. Health officials said there are 336 confirmed cases of the virus and 29 deaths.
5:30 p.m. -- Kansas City Fire Department assistant chief Jimmy Walker said one of the city's EMTs has died from COVID-19. Walker said the department has not released the name of the EMT at this time. READ MORE
4:45 p.m. -- A coronavirus outbreak at a Kansas City, Kansas, rehabilitation facility has now claimed the lives of 12 residents. Health officials in Wyandotte County said Monday that the Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation has 90 residents who tested positive for COVID-19, along with 20 staff members. READ MORE
4:30 p.m. -- Meadow View Health & Rehabilitation in Harrisonville, Missouri, said Monday that three residents have now died from COVID-19. The rehab center did also say no new residents and employees have tested positive in the last 24 hours. READ MORE
4:09 p.m. -- The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency said Monday it is recalling around 48,000 KN95 masks that were sent to first responders throughout the Show-Me State. READ MORE
2:48 p.m. -- St. Louis County will build a temporary morgue because of the increase in deaths due to the coronavirus. County spokesman Doug Moore told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Monday that the facility is expected to open by the end of the week.
County Executive Sam Page discussed construction of the temporary morgue during a news conference on Monday and said his staff is working with faith leaders about how to handle bodies with dignity.
The county’s permanent morgue is a one-story building in Berkeley, with a capacity of 20 bodies. State law requires the county medical examiner to take charge of the bodies and investigate facts concerning the medical cause of some deaths, including those from a disease that is thought to be hazardous or contagious.
2 p.m. -- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Monday the Show-Me state has reached 4,388 cases of COVID-19 and 114 deaths have been reported.
The new numbers mean that Missouri saw an increase of 228 cases from Sunday and four additional deaths were reported. The state said it has tested approximately 45,000 people. READ MORE
12:45 p.m. -- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Monday the Sunflower State has reached 1,376 cases of COVID-19, and 62 deaths have been reported statewide. The new numbers mean Kansas saw an increase of 39 cases from Sunday, and six additional deaths were reported. There have also been 12,488 negative tests, according to the state. READ MORE
11:16 a.m. -- A coronavirus outbreak at a Kansas City area rehabilitation facility has now claimed 12 lives and sickened nearly 100 other residents and staff members. Health officials in Wyandotte County said Sunday that the Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation of Kansas City has 90 residents who tested positive and 20 staff.
Five of the residents are currently in the hospital.
The facility said in a statement posted on its website that about 90% of patients are responding positively to care and that it is making palliative and supportive care available to those residents whose “overall course has not been as encouraging despite the efforts of our clinical team.”
10 a.m. -- The Wyandotte County Health Department said Monday the county added five new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one additional person has died from coronavirus-related ailments.
The county said there are now 336 confirmed cases in Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, and 25 deaths in the county. Since last Thursday there have been only 45 new cases reported and only seven in the past three days.
The county said 384 people have self-reported that the have COVID-19 and 166 people have probable cases of the coronavirus.
The biggest areas of concentration continue to be in the 66109 and 66112 ZIP codes. In the 66109 ZIP code, the county said there are 61 cases. In the 66112 ZIP code, the county said there are 120 cases.
9:30 a.m. -- The Kansas Department of Labor said Monday morning it is experiencing "technical difficulties" with its website and filing unemployment claims by phone. READ MORE
9 a.m. -- Health officials in Wyandotte County, Kansas are opening a new COVID-19 testing clinic Monday. Currently, Wyandotte County carries the highest concentration of coronavirus cases in the Kansas City metro area. READ MORE
[ CLICK HERE FOR MAPS OF COVID-19 CASES BY COUNTY IN KANSAS & MISSOURI ]
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