TOPEKA ā Governor Laura Kelly held a press conference Tuesday to give an update regarding COVID-19 in Kansas.
She said Kansas has officially joined a group of 5 states, 21 municipalities, and 2 Native American tribes participating in the bipartisan Rockefeller Foundation COVID-19 Testing Solutions Group.
By participating in this group, Kansas will create a strong web of COVID-19 testing information that stretches across the country, strengthen our efforts to remain up-to-date on best testing practices, and provide them to our communities across Kansas.
Kansas recorded another record spike in COVID-19 cases and saw an average of 736 new cases for the seven days ending Monday, or 9.8% higher than the previous record of 671 set for the seven days ending Friday.
Since Friday, the state added 2,055 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases, an increase of 3.1%, to bring the total for the pandemic to 67,862. The number of COVID-19-related deaths increased by eight to 771.
The actual number of cases is thought to be much higher because people can be infected without feeling ill or they may have only minor symptoms, and because of a lack of testing, particularly early in the pandemic.
Among the cases, health officials are blaming 100 outbreaks on K-12 schools, colleges and athletics, with 1,452 infections. Rural areas that were initially spared have been adding cases steadily.