Kansas has added 1,536 new cases of COVID-19 since Monday, with 11 new deaths. The state is now reporting 39,937 cases in all 105 counties with 437 deaths.
Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said Wednesday that the state has a new case rate of 108 cases per 100,000 people per week, and that ranks Kansas 16th highest in the U.S. The average in the U.S. is 93 cases per 100,000 people per week.
Dr. Norman said the positive test rate is 10.3 percent of the tests conducted. That puts Kansas at number 6 in the U.S. with the national average at 5.8 percent. He said 30 percent of the state’s counties are in the red or yellow categories for community spread, with red having the largest numbers.
The good news is that the state is conducting more testing, and Dr. Norman said over 36,510 tests were conducted last week. He said the state is having more expanded testing options.
Dr. Norman said it’s important to tell children as the school year begins that “we are not helpless against this virus,” and it’s important to continue using masks, social distancing, hand washing and other measures to limit the spread of the virus. He said they will continue to be dramatically effective against COVID-19.
