SATURDAY UPDATES: COVID-19 cases continue to decline as state hits vaccine benchmark

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The number of new cases of COVID-19 continued to stay relatively low across Missouri on Saturday.

The state reported 566 new cases of the virus on Saturday, bringing the grand total up to 474,587. The state's highest daily case total was reported on Nov. 12, hitting 4,866.

There were also 6 new deaths reported, the state now reporting 7,715 deaths due to COVID-19.

This comes as more than one million total doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered, including first and second doses.

In Missouri, 693,402 people have recieved at least 1 dose of the vaccine. That is 11.4 percent of the total population. 313,582 of those people have been given the second dose.

In total, 1,006,984 doses have been administered in the state. 156,751 of those happened in the past 7 days, according to the state.

Missouri's seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate was reported at 6.9 percent, just one point lower that Friday. The rate has hovered around this number for the past few days.

Hospitals are reporting that 1,257 patients are currently dealing with infections. Of those, 275 of those are in the ICU and 190 are on ventilators.