KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Clay County has confirmed its first three cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total in Missouri closer to 200 confirmed cases.
According to a statement from the county, a man and a woman in their 50s and a woman in her 80s are the first three novel coronavirus patients in Clay County. All three were confirmed Monday by lab tests.
The cases are unrelated and “none of the individuals have recently traveled, which indicates community spread is occurring,” the Clay County Public Health Center said in a release.
“Unfortunately, COVID-19 continues to spread across the Kansas City metro area and Clay County is no exception,” Director of Public Health Gary E. Zaborac said in a statement. “We want to make it clear to everyone that prevention against COVID-19 should be taken seriously. At this time, we are asking everyone follow the shelter-in-place order to protect our families, friends and neighbors and help to keep our health care facilities from being overwhelmed.”
With the three Clay County cases, there are 187 confirmed cases in Missouri, according to the latest figures around 4 p.m. on Monday.
An investigation into how each patient became infected is underway and Clay County Public Health “will attempt to notify anyone they have been in close contact with recently.”
Due to community transmission throughout the Kansas City area, it’s often unclear how the infection occurred.
Clay County is among the local jurisdictions subject to a 30-day stay-at-home order, which begins at midnight and continues through April 24.
Editor's note: A mobile push alert sent regarding this story included an incorrect headline. It should have referenced the first "cases" of COVID-19 in Clay and Platte counties.
