FRIDAY UPDATES: Two counties reporting COVID-19 deaths

Miller and Chariton County are reporting deaths linked to COVID-19.

According to the Miller County Health Center, one more person has died from the coronavirus. That brings the county total to 42. Miller County has the third-highest total of COVID-19-related deaths behind Camden and Cole County.

The county currently has 121 active cases. This brings their total to 1,785 cases in total.

Currently, the health center reports that seven residents are hospitalized due to the coronavirus.

In Chariton County, the health center reports two more deaths. This brings their total to seven deaths in total. The seven deaths occurred in less than a month, with the county first reporting a death related to COVID-19 on November 13.

The county reports 117 active cases, bringing the total number of cases to 497 in total.

Boone County’s COVID-19 positivity rate breaks record

The Columbia / Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services dashboard reports that the positivity rate is currently 37.3%. This is the highest reported positivity rate, breaking the rate of 33.9% for the week of October 30 to November 5.

According to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, the positivity rate is an important indicator because it can provide information that a community is doing enough tests to find cases.

The dashboard also reports 146 new active cases. This brings the total number of cases to 10,857.

The dashboard is currently reporting 917 active cases, an increase of 40 cases from Wednesday.

The county reported 106 additional new cases removed from isolation today, bringing the total number of cases to 9,909.

The Columbia / Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services dashboard reported an increase of 5 cases to 135 on average over five days.

The health department reports that the total number of hospitalizations in Boone County is 149, down four cases from Thursday.

The number of hospitalized Boone County residents remains at 29.

The dashboard reports that there is an increase from three cases to 44 COVID-19 patients in the ICU.

The department reports 16 patients on ventilators, a drop of five patients from Thursday.

The hospital status is still currently in the “yellow” zone.

Boone County extends health order, including mask warrant

Authorities extended a county-wide health ordinance requiring masks and limiting the number of people inside businesses.

The Columbia and Boone County health director put the order in place before Thanksgiving. The order was the first to require masks to be worn throughout Boone County. It was due to expire on Tuesday before the expansion, which will keep it in place until December 22.

Boone County set a daily coronavirus case record Thursday with 226 new cases after delays in testing and processing results thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday. The county continues to see a sharp drop in cases, reporting an average of 130 new cases over five days.

The county health department reported four deaths from COVID-19 this week. Most of the county’s 30 deaths have been reported since mid-October.

“We’re just starting to see how hospitalizations and the spread of the community have been affected by Thanksgiving, so we need to expand current protocols as we monitor the situation to see what will be needed in the weeks to come,” said Columbia and Boone County Health Director Stephanie. Browning said in a press release.

More than 150 COVID-19 patients are being treated at hospitals in Boone County. The county health department said 106 county residents were hospitalized with COVID-19 in November, which is more than the combined figures for September and October.

The order also requires restaurants that serve alcohol and bars to stop serving drinks at 10:30 p.m.

Mid-Missouri Community Coronavirus Testing Sites To Open Next Week

Community coronavirus testing sites in Boonville and Jefferson City will open next week.

The sites will test any resident of Missouri for a new coronavirus, whether they have symptoms or a doctor’s prescription. The tests rely on self-administered nasal swabs which are less invasive than the standard coronavirus test. People who take tests will not be charged.

Testing will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Cooper County Fairgrounds in Boonville and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at the American Legion Hall in Jefferson City.

Online registration is required to get tested.

Several sites in Mid-Missouri also offer federally supervised “surge tests”, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. These testing sites include pharmacies and Columbia’s Memorial Baptist Church, where test samples are taken every Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Here is a link to the full list of surge testing sites.

Testing is open to anyone 5 years of age or older who has symptoms or is concerned about having coronavirus.

More than 3 million coronavirus tests have been administered to residents of Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The number of weekly tests peaked in mid-November, but fell last week with the Thanksgiving holiday.

More and more Missourians are also testing positive for the virus. The state reported more than 4,000 new cases of coronavirus on Friday and 20 more deaths associated with COVID-19. State hospitals continue to set records for the number of patients with COVID-19.

Missouri reports 4,000 new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations increase

Missouri health officials reported just over 4,000 new cases of the coronavirus as of Friday morning.

The state’s health department’s coronavirus dashboard said the total number of COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic was 313,421 as of Friday morning, 4,053 more than the day before.

It’s the biggest daily increase in cases this week.

Coronavirus-related deaths have risen in the past 24 hours and are up 20.

The dashboard included Missouri’s seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate was 20.4% – unchanged in the past day.

The positivity rate has remained around 20% for the past two weeks. The CDC has said a rate above 10% indicates a spread of the coronavirus.

Statewide Covid hospitalizations jumped to 2,803 on Tuesday – the latest data available. This is the highest number of hospitalizations for coronavirus in more than a week and close to the pandemic record of 2,851 set on November 18.

State hospital officials said Missouri has 23% of its inpatient bed capacity remaining.

Included data 659 were in the intensive care unit with coronavirus – unchanged from the previous day. Less than 20 percent of the intensive care bed space was still available.