January marks one of the coronavirus pandemic’s deadliest months in Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri's COVID-19 dashboard has for weeks shown falling death rates from coronavirus.

However, a review of death certificates each week has added hundreds of cases to January's toll, making it one of the pandemic's deadliest months.

The deaths aren't reflected in daily totals released by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Instead, they're added, many times weeks later, during weekly reviews of death certificates that flag cases from sometimes months before. Those reviews have turned up more than 300 deaths each time over the past three weeks.

The numbers identified in those weekly reviews have also climbed over the winter. The weekly review Jan. 19 turned up 130 deaths. By Feb. 8, the weekly review identified 336 new deaths.

Adding those backdated deaths has created a spike in deaths in mid-January that surpasses the summer's delta wave and comes close to matching the deaths recorded last winter, before vaccines were widely available.

For example, the state health department reported no new deaths on Jan. 18. But as of Tuesday, that number had been revised to 51, including those added from the weekly reviews.

The trend of higher death rates during the omicron wave is being seen nationwide. While new cases and hospitalizations are dropping sharply, the nation earlier this month recorded its highest average of daily deaths since last winter.

Experts say vaccination is the best way to prevent catching the virus. About 56% of Missourians are considered fully vaccinated. The state has administered nearly 1.4 million boosters, as well.

Around 60%of Americans are fully vaccinated.

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