KDHE Announces Release of Kansas COVID County Rankings Report

TOPEKA – Today, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced the release of the Kansas COVID County Ranking report. This report is designed to help county commissioners and local leaders stop the spread of COVID-19 in their communities by tracking critical COVID-19 metrics including testing, case and vaccination rates.

“I believe that data is a powerful tool we can use to guide our response to COVID-19,” Dr. Lee Norman said. “I am hopeful this report empowers action in communities and encourages sharing and implementation of best practices across Local Health Departments. Local leaders and communities are working tirelessly to keep us safe; to help them, helps all of us.”

This report is not a report-card, as multiple factors impact COVID-19 testing, case and vaccination rates in our communities. It brings together the most critical COVID-19 metrics at a local level to help state, county, and local leaders work together to stop the spread of the dangerous COVID-19 delta variant and keep Kansans safe and keep the economy open.

“Over the past 18 months, Kansas Counties have worked tirelessly to provide ongoing response and vital resources for county residents to keep them safe and informed on the evolving COVID-19 virus,” shared Bruce Chladny, Executive Director, Kansas Association of Counties, “And, the county response efforts, including vaccinations and essential messaging, continue as Kansas now experiences yet another surge from the deadly virus.”

Three metrics are reported and ranked across each county:

• Full series vaccination rate of eligible population (12+ year olds)
• 7- day daily average number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people
• 7- day daily average number of COVID-19 tests administered per 100,000 people

Each county’s rankings are added together to generate a total score for the county. The total scores for counties are then ranked from 1-105.

The report will be refreshed three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It can be found on KDHE’s website at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas. Data for the report is provided by the CDC and KDHE.