-->

Coping with COVID-19: Kansas City metro sees continued rise in new coronavirus infections

Missouri’s rate of new COVID-19 infections has climbed over the last several days, the state crossing over into the 200,000 range of total infections this week since the onset of COVID-19 in the spring.

Missouri crossed over into the 200,000 range of total COVID-19 infections on Wednesday. The state has set records for the highest number of new infections in one day four times in the past week.

Assistant director of the Jackson County, Missouri Health Department, Ray Dlugolecki, watches the COVID-19 trends to understand how the virus is spreading over time.

He and other health leaders fear if cases continue to rise, contact tracers won’t be able to keep up, resulting in people spreading the virus without knowing they’re infected and then hospitals could be filled to capacity.

Dlugolecki said the state often sends counties COVID-19 tests and gives them the flexibility to implement mask mandates, even when the state as a whole does not have a mandate. 

In Wyandotte County, Kansas, the health department unveiled a new tool called “scorecard” Wednesday. It highlights critical data points in easy to understand gauges and lists the county’s impact and risk level.