Kansas comes in last for number of tests given. That’s a problem.

As of April 16, Kansas was ranked last out of 50 states for COVID-19 per capita testing with a total of 19,101 tests given. While the number of tests has increased to 31,626 as of May 1 — causing Kansas to climb higher in the rankings — the number is near several other states like California and New York, which have given out over 600,000 tests. 

Considering that the coronavirus travels three times as fast as the flu and it’s possible to be an asymptomatic carrier, I find the lack of tests in Kansas very concerning. And other people should as well. 

Now to be fair, Kansas is ranked 35 out of 50 for the total cases overall in the US. 

But if we have that few people being tested, how can we be sure the number of cases is actually that low? Without the tests needed, thousands of people aren’t being tested — and those thousands of people could be positive without anyone knowing, meaning they aren’t included in the numbers. 

The population of Kansas is 2.9 million. That means that only 0.01% of the population has been tested — which shows how many people aren’t being included in the numbers. The government should increase the number of tests available to get these numbers higher and ensure accurate stats.

Kentucky has done 54,101 tests. Utah has done 108,501. Oklahoma comes in with 63,422. All three are within 400 cases of how many Kansas has. So why do our test numbers amount to a fraction of theirs?

The Kansas Chamber of Commerce released a survey on April 22, and 84% of Kansas citizens said that they wanted to reopen the state within the next two weeks. But without tests, that can’t happen.

I’m not saying I don’t want to reopen. I miss hanging out with my friends, going out to eat and even going to school. I miss having freedom. But it doesn’t seem logical to reopen the state if thousands of people don’t even know if they have the virus. 

Governor Laura Kelly is scheduled to announce her plan to help Kansas reopen on May 7. According to Kelly, the rules of the reopening will partially depend upon the availability of COVID-19 testing. 

“[The president and I] are in agreement that we need to work together to prioritize testing,” Kelly said at a news briefing on April 27. “It is the only way that we can safely open our economy.”

Kelly said that the state has ordered 500,000 tests. After clearing customs, they will be delivered in groups of 10,000 each week, with hopes of getting an additional 50,000 from the government. 

The more tests there are, the safer it is to go outside — which is why Kansas should increase the number of tests available.