‘Red zone’ report shows decrease in new COVID-19 cases, positivity rate in Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The White House released the latest 'red zone' report for Missouri, reporting a decrease in new COVID-19 cases and test positivity.

Even with the decrease, Missouri is in the red zone for cases, reporting 261 new cases per 100,000 people. The state's case rate ranks 43rd in the country.

In total, 83% of Missouri counties have moderate or high levels of community transmission with 76% of counties sitting in the 'red zone.'

In mid-Missouri, several counties are still in the red zone, including Boone, Cole, Callaway, Camden, Audrain, and Cooper County.

St. Louis County, Jackson County, and St. Charles County had the highest number of new cases over the last three weeks.

To reduce the spread of the virus, the report recommends mask mandates, limited indoor personal gatherings, and proactive testing to find asymptomatic silent infections.

"Focus on finding asymptomatic individuals by testing those under 40," the report said.

With universities returning for spring semester, the report also recommends weekly testing to avoid early trends that were seen during the fall.

"The creation of young adult testing sites, that utilize antigen tests with immediate results, will decrease community spread when added to current state and local testing approaches," the report said.

The University of Missouri is requiring COVID-19 testing upon arrival for on-campus students in order to box in a potential outbreak, but no weekly testing requirements have been announced.