KANSAS CITY, Mo. — We have been tracking the spread of COVID-19 in the Kansas City area since the start of the pandemic.
Whether it's stories about how we bounce back through our Rebound KC effort, important information as school resumes or critical information about the November election, trust 41 Action News to keep you informed.
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Updates on the spread of the virus and how it is affecting the metro can be found below for Sept. 25.
10:34 p.m. | Missouri reported a record number of deaths this week — and by a wide margin — with 194 reported by the state and local health departments. The old record was 123 during the week of May 2-8, according to the 41 Action News Daily COVID-19 Tracker.
Three of the five weeks in Missouri history with 100-plus deaths reported have come during the last four weeks.
There have been at least 80 deaths reported in Missouri during eight of the last nine weeks dating back to July 25.
The 194 deaths are a 68.7% increase from last week when 115 deaths were reported, the third highest total for any single week in Missouri history.
Kansas saw a sharp decrease in deaths, from 76 to 43, but that’s a bit deceptive.
Forty-three deaths are the second most reported in any single week in the state’s history, so it remains a massive number for Kansas.
In fact, the last three weeks – there were 39 deaths reported Sept. 5-11 – represent the three highest single-week death tolls since the start of the pandemic.
Across the seven-county Kansas City metro, there were 39 deaths for the second straight week reported in the region, which is tied for the second most in any week during the pandemic (42, April 11-17).
As for cases, Missouri saw a 5.56% drop in cases from a record 11,351 new confirmed cases last week to 10,890 this week, including Gov. Parson and Teresa. That is the second-highest total for a single week in Missouri history. The last four weeks have seen at least 9,300 new cases added.
Kansas nearly set a new record, reporting 4,390 cases during the last seven days – an increase of 7.73%. That is only five shy of the single-week record 4,395 set Aug. 22-28. There have been four weeks in Kansas history with 4,000+ cases – and all have come within the last five weeks.
The seven-county KC metro saw a 7.97% increase in cases, but remains well off the record set in late July for cases in a week. Still, cases have increased two weeks in a row now.
Nationally, cases rose for the second straight weeks, but the number of deaths dropped after a one-week reversal.
—TP
7:35 p.m. | The University of Missouri, which has 95 active cases at the Columbia campus as of Friday, has disciplined 20 people for COVID-19 violations, including five students who have been suspended for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year.
Fourteen other students have been placed on probation for the next two semesters along with other sanctions and face suspension for any subsequent violation.
Another former student has been barred from enrolling until "the violations are addressed through the student conduct process."
There have been 540 cases referred to MU's Office of Student Accountability and Support to date, according to the school.
6:13 p.m. | Beginning next week, anyone at least 6 years old who lives, works or attends school in Cass County, with or without symptoms, can receive a free COVID-19 test from the Cass County Health Department.
The department announced a change Friday to its testing requirements, which now includes Cass County residents who aren’t experiencing symptoms.
Drive-thru testing takes place from 7 a.m. to noon each Wednesday at Belton Regional Medical Center, 17065 S. U.S. 71, and each Thursday at Cass Regional Medical Center, 2800 Rock Haven Road in Harrisonville.
Appointments, which are required, can be made on the Cass County Health Department website or by calling 816-380-8425 during regular business hours. —TP
6:05 p.m. | The Unified Government Public Health Department — which oversees Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas — announced pop-up testing clinic times and locations for October on Friday.
Meanwhile, with public health officials urging people to get flu shots amid the pandemic, the Jackson County Health Department announced a drive-thru flu shot clinic from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 2 at its Independence office, 313 S. Liberty St.
Appointments, which can be made online, are required for the Jackson County flu shot clinic. —TP
6:02 p.m. | Missouri Gov. Mike Parson will remain quarantined through Oct. 3. His office announced Friday that Parson — who tested positive along with his wife, Teresa, on Wednesday — remains asymptomatic. —TP
5:41 p.m. | With an additional 575 new positive COVID-19 cases Friday, there have now been at least 500 new cases reported in the seven-county Kansas City metro area on seven days this month, according to the 41 Action News Daily COVID-19 Tracker.
Nationally, the U.S. topped 7 million total cases since the start of the pandemic Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University data. —TP
4:05 p.m. | The University of Kansas will begin allowing fans at its athletic events in October.
That includes a plan to allow 10,000 fans at its Homecoming game Oct. 3 against Oklahoma State at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence.
2:37 p.m. | Jackson County Circuit Court delayed jury trials at its downtown courthouse again after a court employee tested positive for COVID-19, the court announced Friday. —TP
1 p.m. | The Blue Springs School District says it had eight reported cases of COVID-19 in schools in the third week of classes. Families are notified if someone in their student's class tests positive for the coronavirus. If the student has been directly exposed, families are also given a date the student may return to school after quarantining.
Last week, the district launched a COVID-19 dashboard to track cases within schools. —AW
12:50 p.m. | The NCAA Sport Science Institute on Friday released the first set of guidelines for basketball, including updates on testing, travel considerations and access to the court and bench areas.
“This basketball resocialization guidance is based on the best information available in a rapidly changing COVID-19 environment,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a news release. “It is predicated on the assumption that rapid testing capabilities will be readily available later this year. We will constantly assess emerging information as we prepare for the start of the basketball season at the end of November.” —AW
Noon | Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday he and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19, two days after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson also tested positive.
Northam is experiencing no symptoms, and his wife, Pamela Northam, is experiencing mild symptoms, according to the governor's office.
Parson also said Wednesday that he was feeling healthy. —AW
11:30 a.m. | League play for Southeastern Conference basketball will officially begin on Dec. 29, the conference announced Friday morning.
Woman's basketball league play will begin on Dec. 31
The 2020-21 SEC men's basketball conference will feature 20 play dates, which will accommodate an 18-game schedule with two open dates. —DM
8:50 a.m. | The Lee’s Summit R-7 School District says a confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported at Mason Elementary School this week. All families with students who may have had close contact with the individual have been notified.
The district is notifying all families and staff in school buildings where positive cases have been confirmed, according to a district spokeswoman. —AW
8 a.m. | Officials with the University of Kansas Health System gave an update on COVID-19 operations in the area. —AW
7:45 a.m. | Just starting your day? We’ve got you covered with a quick look at what you need to know. —AW
7:30 a.m. | Amid a global pandemic that has closed many local restaurants and left more struggling to survive, the great outdoors may be the answer.
In Kansas City, Missouri, an ordinance enacted during the summer created a way to allow for physical distancing while serving customers. —AW
7 a.m. | Missouri released new guidelines Thursday for families hoping to reunite safely with their loved ones in long-term care facilities.
Under the new guidelines, the state says facilities can allow both outside and general visits, but it's ultimately up to each facility to decide whether to allow to allow such visits at all.
Visits to long-term care facilities, where patients are more vulnerable to the threat of COVID-19, has been a concern since the start of the pandemic. —AW
Previous coverage:
March 2020 updates
April 2020 updates
May 2020 updates
June 2020 updates
July 2020 updates
August 2020 updates
Thursday, Sept. 24
