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pstokely

(10,511 posts)
Sun May 10, 2020, 06:57 AM May 2020

The St. Louis area has seen more than twice the coronavirus cases and three times the deaths as Kans

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/the-st-louis-area-has-seen-more-than-twice-the-coronavirus-cases-and-three-times/article_adb3cc07-cf4e-520c-86e2-e882bee38609.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

"“I think population density there has a significant effect,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease physician and medical director of infection prevention and control for the University of Kansas Health System.

“That seems to be the distinct difference,” agreed Jackson, noting that the cities are “just laid out a little differently.”

But others cautioned that density, by itself, is not always a surefire culprit linked to virus prevalence or severity. While it is widely cited as fueling massive waves of transmission in places such as New York City, some cities with relatively high population densities, like Seattle, have been able to prevent the virus from getting runaway momentum, even after early spikes in cases. And internationally, several Asian cities with incredible density, like Singapore or Seoul, have been models for limiting the impact of the contagion — achievements helped by aggressive testing and other public health measures.

Meanwhile, some experts credited the Kansas City region’s blanket stay-at-home policies with helping to keep the virus’ spread relatively controlled, for a major city.

“The coordination and the collaboration with the surrounding communities, I thought was pretty remarkable,” said Jackson."
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The St. Louis area has seen more than twice the coronavirus cases and three times the deaths as Kans (Original Post) pstokely May 2020 OP
So way down the article the author decides to tell us that KC Squinch May 2020 #1
StlMO / the city itself does have and has had a stay at home policy long before St. Louis County SWBTATTReg May 2020 #2
Our mayor in KC shut the town down as soon as he saw leftyladyfrommo May 2020 #3
It was 3/13, IIRC, which was fairly early on . . . hatrack May 2020 #4

Squinch

(50,774 posts)
1. So way down the article the author decides to tell us that KC
Sun May 10, 2020, 07:38 AM
May 2020

has a strict stay at home order and St Louis doesn't.

Gosh. I wonder what can be the reason for KC's success and SL's failure!

SWBTATTReg

(21,859 posts)
2. StlMO / the city itself does have and has had a stay at home policy long before St. Louis County
Sun May 10, 2020, 08:27 AM
May 2020

and the state did. St. Louis county (524 sq. miles, 997K people) is experiencing 3 times the CV cases of St. Louis City (66 square miles, 303K people), with the rest of the 1.4 million people scattered throughout the areas not included in the county or city.

The KC metro area is about 2.1 million people, encompassing an area of 7,952 sq. miles (Kansas City itself has 319 sq. miles), and the STL metro area is 2.8 million people. A big difference in population densities.

In STLMO (the city), the stay at home order is having a positive effect. Hospitalizations are dropping (CV cases), a result probably of the six week long (actually 7 weeks/49 days as of today) or so stay at home order in the city (started March 23, 2020, but a lot of people went into self-isolation roughly a week or so before, a lot of people didn't wait for the official order).

Before labeling efforts a failure, one might clarify just exactly what they are stating, as to population densities, how long stay at home orders have been in effect, etc., before pronouncing efforts as being successful or not. We've a long way to go, I suspect, and to announce something as a failure or not, isn't fair or right.

leftyladyfrommo

(18,816 posts)
3. Our mayor in KC shut the town down as soon as he saw
Sun May 10, 2020, 08:30 AM
May 2020

this coming

And KCMO is really spread out. Lots of open space.

And the people I see and talk to are being really carefu

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