Kansas adds 620 new COVID-19 cases in last two days

For the first time, health officials are finding cases with MIS-C, or multi-inflammatory syndrome, in children.

April 30, 2021 - 4:49 PM

A boy receives a free — but unpleasant — COVID-19 test in Los Angeles amid the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by (Mario Tama/Getty Images/TNS)

Between Wednesday and Friday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment saw 620 COVID-19 cases, four deaths and 97 hospitalizations.

Overall, the state has seen more than 309,000 cases and 4,980 deaths over the course of the pandemic.

For the first time, KDHE is also reporting the number of COVID-19 cases with MIS-C, or multi-inflammatory syndrome in children. It’s a group of symptoms and signs where organs and tissues can become severely inflamed, and more research still has to be done on it.

(Read here about an Iola boy recovering from MIS-C)

Thirteen Kansas children have had that as of Friday.

The number of more-contagious COVID-19 variants also increased. As of Wednesday, there were 384 variants across 37 counties, five more counties than Monday.

Sedgwick County has taken a noticeable lead in the number of variants, at 156 cases. Next is Shawnee County, with 75 variant cases reported. In addition to the more common U.K. and South Africa variants, the California and Brazil variants have appeared in the state.

Nationwide and in Kansas, the race to vaccinate has made steady progress, with 38.4% of Kansans having received at least one dose.