WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Boone County reports record-setting day of new and active coronavirus cases for second day in a row

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reported 329 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday.

There are currently 1,578 active cases in the county and 30,033 cases since the pandemic began. Active cases have hit their highest number since the pandemic began.  

The county reported 28,263 cases removed from isolation. Over 87% of active cases are in the 65201, 65202 and 65203 zip codes.

Boone County ranks eighth in the state with the most coronavirus cases in total volume in the past week. Cases are up 143.6% when comparing last week to the prior week. The county has a 22.7% positivity test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

The health department's hospital status is yellow with 133 COVID-19 patients in Boone County hospitals and 12 of them being Boone County residents. Of the 133 patients, 35 are in intensive care and 17 are on ventilators.

The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports that 115,126 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 101,324 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 63.8%. The largest county in the state is St. Louis County with 68.1%.

Boone County is third in the state with a reported 56.1% of residents that have completed their coronavirus vaccine doses. St. Louis County is the first county in the state with 59.9% of residents having completed the doses for vaccination. The city of Joplin has 61% of the population fully vaccinated.

Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 54.2%. Callaway County is third with 50.1%.

Cole County reports 95 new coronavirus cases; VA requires medical-grade masks

The Cole County Health Department reported 95 new coronavirus cases Wednesday.

According to the dashboard update, there are 12,880 residential cases and 294 long-term care facility resident cases. That is 13,174 total cases in the county.

Cole County has reported 174 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began.

Cole County ranks 32nd in the state for counties with the most coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the past week. Cases are up 74.2% when comparing last week to the prior week. The county has reported a 21.1% positivity test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports about 54.2% of the county have initiated their first dose of the vaccine and 49.9% of the county's population have been fully vaccinated.

VA to require medical-grade masks at Truman hospital

Veterans Affairs said Wednesday that it will require anyone in its Columbia hospital to wear medical-grade masks, such as surgical masks and N95s.

"Effective immediately, all who enter Truman VA or outpatient clinics must now wear a facility-provided medical-grade mask while in any of our facilities," the Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital said on Twitter. "No other form of face covering is considered acceptable."

Effective immediately, all who enter Truman VA or outpatient clinics must now wear a facility-provided medical-grade mask while in any of our facilities. No other form of face covering is considered acceptable.

Patients and visitors will be provided a medical mask.

— VAColumbiaMO (@VAColumbiaMO) January 5, 2022

The move comes as experts say cloth masks like those many people have worn during the coronavirus pandemic have limited effectiveness against the spread of the new omicron variant. The variant has been detected in sewer systems around Missouri as the state experiences an unprecedented surge in cases, including more than 9,000 confirmed cases Wednesday.

Some European countries have mandated the use of medical-grade masks.

State of Missouri reports over 9,000 new coronavirus cases

The state of Missouri reported 14,360 new and probable coronavirus cases Wednesday.

The state of Missouri’s daily average of new coronavirus cases has gone back up to a 5,819 seven-day average (40,734 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 9,084 new coronavirus cases through PCR testing and another 5,276 probable cases identified in antigen testing from Tuesday, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services coronavirus dashboard. Missouri has now reported 853,812 confirmed cases for the pandemic and more than 200,673 probable cases.

The state recorded 15 more confirmed deaths for 13,283 and six new probable deaths for a total of 3,017.

Missouri's new cases are up 108.5% over the past week, the state reports, as recent cases surge nationwide.

The rate of positive tests is 28.5% for the last week.

Cole, Pettis, Callaway, Osage, Moniteau, Miller, Saline and Boone 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 3.19% (no increase from last reported on 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 Tuesday that 54% of Missouri residents are fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are also trending upward, with the state reporting 29% of total hospital capacity and 21% of ICU capacity remaining. Those numbers are at 40% and 35% in Central Missouri, respectively.

Southern Boone School District goes virtual as coronavirus surge hits staff

Students in the Southern Boone School District will be learning remotely the rest of this week as the surge in coronavirus cases impacts the district's staffing levels.

"Due to staffing issues and substitute teacher shortages related to the recent surge in COVID-19 positive cases within our district, we are unable to sustain adequate in-person learning," Superintendent Chris Felmlee said in a message posted on the district's website.

The district plans to return to in-person instruction Monday, Felmlee wrote.

Southern Boone started using an updated coronavirus plan this week that determines coronavirus mitigation measures based on a tiered system that looks at active coronavirus cases. Cases were at the lowest level before classes began. Only the primary school had case rates higher than that level as of Tuesday.

The district reported 11 active coronavirus cases in staff and 13 in students Wednesday. New cases are surging in Boone County -- which hit peaks for new and active cases Tuesday -- and across the state.

State pauses test ordering amid high demand

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Wednesday that it was putting a temporary hold on taking orders for home test kits as it revamps the ordering system.

The department said the changes are needed because of high demand for tests. Click here to read more.