Kansas City may reconsider mandates if COVID-19 cases increase

KANSAS CITY, Kan – The Kansas City subway could be approaching a pivotal moment, according to several health experts.

As the number of COVID-19 cases increased across Missouri, major city hospitals reported a steady increase in new cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations. Doctors and nurses at the University of Kansas Health System say this is a trend they see coming.

“Increased all over the weekend, compared to what we saw last week,” Lance Williamson, director of RN infection prevention and control, said in a statement. Update COVID-19 Monday.

On Sunday, the number of new cases in the subway increased by more than 30% from the previous week, according to data tracked by Central America Regional Council. MARC also reported an average daily increase of nearly 14% in new hospital admissions over the past week.

As COVID-19 cases rise again tăng, talk about masking quests and other restrictions back into the conversation. Williamson said those restrictions may not be far off, if things don’t improve quickly in the metro.

“If it continues to rise, then we may need to make changes based on what we know is working in our community to stop the spread. Beyond vaccines,” Williamson said.

Mask regulations, restrictions on hours of operation, and power limits are some of the things that lowered the curve last year. The KC Metro has also closed bars, restaurants and other businesses for weeks to help control the outbreak.

No one is saying the shutdown will happen again, at least not yet. But leaders are starting to talk about what will happen if the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 continues to rise.

Independence City has reissue a health advice recommends that people return to wearing masks inside public areas. That advice comes after a huge jump in cases caused by the Delta variant.

At this time, hospitals report the majority of people hospitalized for COVID-19 are not vaccinated. The average age of hospitalization for the virus also decreased significantly.

This vaccine is widely available to people 12 years of age and older. Hospitals, retail pharmacies and county health departments are offering weekly vaccine clinics. Many rooms have walk-in spaces available.