Saline County's COVID cases fall 63.5%; Kansas cases plummet 37.6%

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK
·3 min read

Kansas reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 2,676 new cases. That's down 37.6% from the previous week's tally of 4,291 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Kansas ranked 34th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 0.6% from the week before, with 401,433 cases reported. With 0.88% of the country's population, Kansas had 0.67% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 17 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Saline County reported 35 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 96 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 15,995 cases and 250 deaths.

Across Kansas, cases fell in 70 counties, with the best declines in Douglas County, with 0 cases from 429 a week earlier; in Johnson County, with 198 cases from 420; and in Sedgwick County, with 474 cases from 684. ​

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Wenham Public Nurse Mari Beth Ting prepares a patient to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccine clinic, organized by the Greater Cape Ann Community Collaborative, at the Hamilton-Wenham Senior Center in Hamilton, Massachusetts, on Sept. 9.
Wenham Public Nurse Mari Beth Ting prepares a patient to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccine clinic, organized by the Greater Cape Ann Community Collaborative, at the Hamilton-Wenham Senior Center in Hamilton, Massachusetts, on Sept. 9.

Within Kansas, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Comanche County with 765 cases per 100,000 per week; Linn County with 340; and Stevens County with 292. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Sedgwick County, with 474 cases; Wyandotte County, with 217 cases; and Johnson County, with 198. Weekly case counts rose in 29 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Wyandotte, Miami and Riley counties.

In Kansas, seven ​ people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 43 people were reported dead.

A total of 876,221 people in Kansas have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 9,079 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 96,070,980 people have tested positive and 1,056,416 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Kansas's COVID-19 hospital admissions falling

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Sept. 25. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 496

  • The week before that: 563

  • Four weeks ago: 641

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 55,707

  • The week before that: 55,506

  • Four weeks ago: 64,244

Hospitals in 13 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 20 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 25 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Saline County COVID-19 cases fall