The Kansas Department of Health and Environment updated its COVID-19 data on Wednesday. As of 9 a.m., there were 2,779 new cases and seven new deaths reported statewide since Wednesday, Sept. 14. 

The previous week, KDHE reported 45 new deaths. For both weeks, the KDHE website notes that the increase in deaths may be attributable to Office of Vital Statistics death data reconciliation and does not necessarily reflect an increase in recent deaths. 

Most area counties continue to show a “high” rate of new cases, defined as 100 or more cases per 100,000 for the period from Sept. 10-16. The most recent five days are not included as data is expected to be incomplete. Rice County showed a “substantial” rate, defined as 50-99 cases per 100,000.

Here are the new cases for area counties for Sept. 10-16:

• Barton 34

• Ellsworth 17

• Pawnee 10

• Rice 8

• Rush 4

• Russell 7

• Stafford 8

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe for me to get a COVID-19 vaccine if I would like to have a baby one day?

KDHE response: YES! If you are trying to become pregnant now or want to get pregnant in the future, you may receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 

There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination increases infertility or the risk of miscarriage. 

In addition, there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination causes any problems during pregnancy, including problems with the development of the placenta. Like all vaccines, scientists are studying COVID-19 vaccines carefully for side effects now and will continue to study them for many years. 

In April, a rare, but serious, side effect was identified in a small number of women of reproductive age, related to the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Given the availability of two other vaccines, the FDA and CDC have encouraged women younger than 50 years of age to be aware of the rare risk of blood clots with low platelets after vaccination with J&J vaccine.