KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas recorded more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day Monday, doing so for the first time since the pandemic began earlier this year. The increasing numbers have health officials alarmed.
“Transmission is very high,” said Johnson County Health and Environment director Dr. Sanmi Areola.
Most of the county’s confirmed coronavirus cases are among those ages 20 to 29, according to data released by the health department. Those who are 30 to 39 years old makeup the second group of most confirmed cases.
“The infections appear to be increasing in younger people,” Areola said. “20 to 29 year old group, 30 to 39 and this week we started to see (confirmed cases) even in the younger population of the teenagers.”
Data provided to 41 Action News by the Platte County Health Department reveal a similar trend. In July, the county has been recording more 20 to 29 year olds testing positive for COVID-19, as well as those 19-years-old or younger.
The numbers trouble health officials because, according to Areola, many young people believe the virus is only harmful to those who are older.
“Even though we don’t see more deaths and serious consequences in the younger population, they do occur," Areola said. "We want them to know they do occur."
Another concern continues to be asymptomatic people spreading the virus unknowingly. Areola said he believes new clusters in long-term care facilities can be traced back to the high transmission rate the county and state are experiencing.
“If you have uncontrolled transmission in the community, it will eventually get into these facilities where people have pre-existing, underlying conditions that make them more vulnerable,” he said. “The gates that we have made in protecting this population, it’s very easy for us to lose that if we don’t control the transmission.”
