TOPEKA —Kansas has 126 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, according to KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman. The number of cases is up 28 from Tuesday. That is 4.4 per thousand, according to Norman. "Not as high as many states (New York or Washington) but the same as in California."
The third and latest victim in Kansas is a man in his 70s who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, according to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. The man had been hospitalized, sent home, re-hospitalized and then died, according to Norman. This patient had emphysema, COPD before he got coronavirus.
Norman said he still expects the number of cases to double every three to four days and he still expects as many as 400 cases in Kansas by the end of March.
Norman also said he did not expect to see immediate results from the stay-at-home orders because of several things. "There are so many exceptions to the stay-at-home, shelter in place orders. People are looking at the exceptions, determining how I can wiggle around the orders so I can go do my stuff," said Norman.
"That is exactly the wrong approach. This is not a game to find a way to justify going out in the community. If you must go for the essential tasks, observe the social distancing rules that are proven to be effective. We need to take home isolation seriously whether or not there is a declaration in place. Adults should not require declarations in order to follow great advice," he said. "Stay home unless you absolutely have to go out."