WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Missouri reports over 100,000 Boone County residents fully vaccinated

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reported four new coronavirus-related deaths. There have been 186 since the first recorded death in March 2020. The first individual was in the 75-79 age group and died Dec. 7. The second individual was in the 60-64 age group and died Dec. 13. The third individual was in the 80+ age group and died Dec. 15. The fourth individual was in the 80+ age group and died Dec. 17.

The county has reported 68 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday.

There are currently 579 active cases in the county and 28,062 cases since the pandemic began. The county reported 27,297 cases removed from isolation.

Boone County ranks 11th in the state with the most coronavirus cases in total volume in the past week. Cases are up 10.1% when comparing last week to the prior week. The county has a 9.7% positivity test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

The health department's hospital status is yellow with 94 COVID-19 patients in Boone County hospitals and 22 of them being Boone County residents. Of the 94 patients, 26 are in intensive care and 11 are on ventilators.

The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports that 113,517 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 100,058 Boone County residents have completed their vaccine doses.

Boone County has the third-largest percentage of county residents in Missouri that have received at least one dose of the vaccine with 62.9%. The largest county in the state is St. Louis County with 66.8%.

Boone County is third in the state with a reported 55.4% of residents that have completed their coronavirus vaccine doses. St. Louis County is the first county in the state with 59% of residents having completed the doses for vaccination. The city of Joplin has 60.2% of the population fully vaccinated.

Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 53.5%. Callaway County is third with 49.5%.

The Columbia Public Schools reports active coronavirus and quarantine cases to their website daily.

The district reported a 48.7 14-day rate per 10,000 for Wednesday.

CPS reports 13 district facilities (five elementary schools, three middle schools, one high school and four other district-wide facilities) currently have staff out because of COVID-19. The district is reporting five staff members at an elementary school, four staff members at middle schools, two staff members at high schools and five staff members at district-wide facilities who have tested positive for COVID-19. Three staff members at elementary schools, one staff member at a middle school and one staff member at a district-wide facility have to quarantine due to being a close contact.

The district reports 31 district facilities to have students currently out due to the coronavirus. The district is reporting 19 of the elementary schools, all of the middle schools, three of the high schools and two district-wide facilities are affected.

There are 43 students that have tested positive for COVID-19. The district is reporting 24 students in elementary, six students in middle school and 13 students in high school have tested positive for the coronavirus.

There are 227 students who are required to quarantine due to the coronavirus. The district reports 162 elementary students are currently quarantining, 43 students in middle school, 22 students in high school and two students at district-wide facilities.

Cole County reports 20 new coronavirus cases

The Cole County Health Department reported 20 new coronavirus cases from Tuesday.

According to the dashboard update, there are 12,353 residential cases and 292 long-term care facility resident cases. That is 12,645 total cases in the county.

Cole County has reported 170 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began.

Cole County ranks 41st in the state for counties with the most coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the past week. Cases are up 20.5% when comparing last week to the prior week. The county has reported a 12.2% positivity test rate, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports about 53.5% of the county have initiated their first dose of the vaccine and 49.3% of the county's population have been fully vaccinated.

Missouri reports over 3,000 new and probable coronavirus cases

The state of Missouri reported 3,675 new and probable coronavirus cases Wednesday.

The state of Missouri’s daily average of new coronavirus cases has gone back up to a 2,114 seven-day average (14,795 confirmed cases from the previous week of reporting) as the state reports new coronavirus cases across the state according to state health department reporting. The daily average looks at the last seven days and doesn't account for the past three days, which will push that number even higher.

The state reported 2,648 new coronavirus cases through PCR testing and another 1,027 probable cases identified in antigen testing for Wednesday, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services coronavirus dashboard. Missouri has now reported 787,597 confirmed cases for the pandemic and more than 182,818 probable cases.

The state recorded 18 more confirmed deaths for 12,935 and took off six probable deaths for 2,916 total.

Missouri's new cases are up 7.2% over the past week, the state reports, as recent cases surge nationwide.

The rate of positive tests was at 13.2% for the last week.

Cole, Pettis, Callaway, Osage, Moniteau, Miller and Saline counties are all in the top 40 Missouri counties in new cases per capita over the last week, according to state statistics.

The state reports that over 2.33% (a .01 increase from Tuesday) of vaccinated Missourians have developed COVID-19 infections.

Experts continue to tout vaccination as the best tool to fight the wave of new cases. Still, new vaccinations have effectively stalled in Missouri, with more boosters being given daily than first or second shots. The state reported Thursday that 53.3% of Missouri residents are fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are also trending upward, with the state reporting 29% of total hospital capacity and 20% of ICU capacity remaining. Those numbers are at 38% and 33% in Central Missouri, respectively.