Coping with Covid: Lowering preventatives results in KC metro COVID-19 spike

Missouri is among 20 states that have recorded a large spike in cases recently.

Kansas City is on an upward trend in reported COVID-19 cases. Last week Missouri saw its largest increase in cases in a month shortly after Memorial Day weekend.

One local hospital doubled its number of COVID-19 patients in the last week, according to a report from Fox 4 News, likely thanks to the return of many metro residents from the Ozarks.

Instances like those traveling and returning from the Ozarks after a weekend of partying are one reason the Kansas City area and others are seeing in uptick in cases, said Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of the Johnson County Health Department in an interview with Fox 4 News.

“Of course, places like what happened at the Ozarks, or a protest, or other crowded avenues present really, what’s more like a perfect environment for the spread of this virus,” Areola said. 

Hospitals in the Kansas City metro claim to not see a large increase, but Areola warns this is not the time to be complacent. “The risk is still here, even higher than it was a few weeks ago,” he said.

Last week Missouri’s top health official, Dr. Randall Williams, said improved testing capacity of up to 12,000 tests a day might partly account for the increase but that other factors could be involved, according to another report by Fox 4 News.

As of Friday, Kansas City and Jackson County have recorded 2,436 confirmed cases.