FRIDAY UPDATES: State reports falling hospital capacity; KC area tops 1,000 COVID-19 deaths
Missouri's intensive care bed capacity has dropped below 20% as the fall coronavirus surge rages.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services COVID-19 dashboard on Friday showed 19% intensive care capacity remains in the state's hospitals. Only 22% of all inpatient beds are available.
Capacity in Missouri's hospitals has been falling for several weeks as new coronavirus cases are diagnosed at record levels, leading to more people in the hospital with COVID-19. Health leaders statewide have pleaded with the public to follow guidelines such as wearing masks and using social distance. They've also called on state leaders to implement a statewide mask mandate.
The state's central region had 34% of available intensive care beds available and 30% of all inpatient beds.
The hospital data is subject to a two-day delay.
Missouri dropped below 4,000 new cases Friday, settling at 3,273. That brings the total number of coronavirus cases statewide to 290,536. The state has added more than 100,000 of those cases this month alone.
The state reported one new death for a total of 3,809.
Missouri ranks 13th in the nation for the number of new cases per 100,000 people over the last week. The state positivity rate during that time is nearly 20%.
Kansas City area tops 1,000 deaths from COVID-19
The Kansas City area has reached an unwanted milestone: Coronavirus deaths in the region have now topped 1,000.
The Kansas City Star reports that nine new deaths cited Thursday brought the total since the onset of the pandemic to 1,003. The number includes Kansas City, Missouri, as well as its suburbs in Missouri and Kansas. Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas says people have died "because of bureaucratic red tape, bravado, ill preparation, and our own communal self-interest favoring normalcy over safety of others."
