THURSDAY UPDATES: 19 inmates test positive for COVID-19 at Southeast Correctional Center
COVID-19 case numbers might differ among state and local health authorities because of issues with reporting and address verification.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Because of an error in a news release, the start of Boone County's new stay-at-home order was initially reported incorrectly. The order begins Friday.
UPDATE 10:10 P.M.: The Missouri Department of Corrections said 19 offenders at Southeast Correctional Center have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to a news release, the offenders were in a quarantined housing wing. The department says it took steps to contain the virus by testing 146 people after three inmates in the wing tested positive.
Of the 146 people tested, 82 were staff members. None of the staff members tested positive, according to the release.
The affected housing wing has been quarantined since April 15, when the first resident with COVID-19 symptoms was tested and moved to an isolation unit. While the wing is in quarantine, residents of the other three wings of the housing unit have been screened, with temperature checks.
UPDATE 5:40 P.M.: Cooper and Saline counties in Mid-Missouri saw increases in their COVID-19 cases numbers Thursday.
The Cooper County Public Health Center reported its sixth positive case of COVID-19, a Blackwater School District employee. School is closed but the employee was involved with home meal delivery and the health center said about 40 children might have been exposed.
Saline County on Thursday reported 123 cases of COVID-19, up from 106 the previous day. The small county has seen a large increase in cases recently, with some of them reported at meat processing facilities.
UPDATE 4:35 P.M.: Boone County health authorities reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the highest daily gain in cases since April 14.
The county is now up to 92 cases, with 83 of those patients having recovered. One Boone County resident has died from COVID-19 -- the first death from the novel coronavirus confirmed by state authorities.
Only eight of the cases are considered active.
The county has seen several days with small increases in COVID-19 cases. This week officials with Columbia hospitals said they were ready to slowly begin adding more non-COVID-19 services.
On Thursday, the county health director issued a new stay-at-home order that will take effect when the current order expires Friday. The order relaxes some restrictions prohibiting sales by non-essential businesses.
UPDATE 4:25 P.M.: Westminster College in Fulton said Thursday that it expects to have students back on campus in August.
College President Fletcher Lampkin said in a news release that students can expect a return to relative normalcy for the fall semester.
“Although Westminster made a quick, seamless transition to sudden online learning this spring, I am confident that our students can expect to physically be back on our beautiful campus after the summer,” Lamkin said. “Our COVID-19 Task Force is working diligently to make sure this happens while ensuring the health and safety of everyone at the College.”
Classes are scheduled to start Aug. 20. The campus will reopen to faculty and staff on May 4, when a statewide stay-at-home order lifts.
University of Missouri leaders said in a message to campus Wednesday that the school is planning to resume in-person classes for the fall semester.
UPDATE 2:55 P.M.: Gov. Mike Parson will host reporters Thursday for his COVID-19 news conference in the state Capitol.
Watch it live in the player below.
UPDATE 2:45 P.M.: The Boone County health director has signed a new stay-at-home order that will start Friday and will allow non-essential retail businesses to resume some sales.
The county's current stay-at-home order was set to expire Friday. The new order takes effect at 8 a.m. Friday and continues until the state order expires on May 3.
A major change to the new order is that it will allow retail businesses that had been considered not essential to resume curbside and delivery sales.
"This order now aligns with the timeline from Governor Parson's order," county health director Stephanie Browning said in a news release. "The prevalence of new COVID-19 cases has decreased to the point that I feel comfortable in starting to slowly open up some retail businesses. I do want to emphasize how important it will be for everyone to continue to practice social distancing and good hygiene so we don't see a resurgence in cases."
Dine-in service at restaurants will remain prohibitted.
A full plan for reopening business in Boone County will be unveiled next week, the city said in the press release announcing the extended order.
Boone County officials reported 90 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and has seen several days of small to no case gains. Of those cases, 83 patients have recovered.
UPDATE 1:55 P.M.: The state recorded a 184-case increase in COVID-19 cases Thursday, the second day in a row of an increasing number of case gains.
State health officials reported 6,321 cases Thursday, up from 6,137 the day before. It was the second straight day that the state's tally increased by more than 150 cases, marking a sudden jump in the number of cases reported as the state nears a possible May 4 reopening.
On Wednesday, 196 new cases were reported.
The state reported an increase of 10 deaths to 218. The highest daily gain in deaths is 19. The state last hit that mark Wednesday.
St. Louis County continues to lead the state with 2,507 cases. State health officials reported 98 cases in Boone County, while local health officials reported 90 cases with 83 people having recovered.
Boone has seen slow growth in cases over the past week, adding one or zero cases each day.
Cole County health officials added another case to their count Thursday, bringing the total to 46 with 37 recoveries.
Callaway County is holding steady at 20 cases. Meanwhile, some smaller Mid-Missouri counties, including Saline and Moniteau, have seen jumps in cases.
State health officials reported 81 cases in Saline County on Thursday but local officials reported 106 positive cases.
State officials reported 33 cases in Moniteau County, but authorities there said there are another 19 likely positives.
UPDATE 12:20 P.M.: Missouri National Guard are set to help St. Louis County officials in transporting bodies if a spike in COVID-19 occurs.
The Guard said in a news release Thursday that it is working with the coroner in COVID-19 hot-spot St. Louis County to help staff an emergency morgue called a Dignified Transfer Center.
The center opened Monday and is meant to accept bodies if the county morgue becomes overwhelmed, the Guard said. Guard members will help in taking bodies from the morgue to the center and managing care for those bodies when they arrive.
The state on Wednesday reported 208 deaths from COVID-19. Of those, 97 are in St. Louis County.
Statewide, 611 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday afternoon, the Missouri Hospital Association reported.
UPDATE 10:50 A.M.: Health departments in Saline County and Pettis County confirmed more new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Corrections said prison inmates across the state have produced more than 120,000 face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic.
As of Wednesday, the Saline County Health Department had confirmed at least 106 cases of novel coronavirus.
A Facebook post from the health department said 24 patients have recovered and three others have been hospitalized.
Department workers confirmed at least 10 new COVID-19 cases since Tuesday.
The Pettis County Health Center said it confirmed one new case of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
According to a Facebook post from the health center, the new case brought the county's total to 17 confirmed novel coronavirus cases.
The health center has confirmed at least on new case everyday this week.
Karen Pojmann, spokeswoman for the department of corrections, said Wednesday that inmates made 128,418 face masks for prison workers. She added the number includes 62,000 masks for inmates.
Pojmann said inmates at several state prisons including Jefferson City Correctional Center started making face coverings on April 3.
The masks were made in Missouri Vocational Enterprises factories at the facilitites, according to an email from Pojmann. She included 1,100 masks were sent to the state legislature.
UPDATE 9:21 A.M.: The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported Thursday that statewide unemployment claims were down in the third week of April.
According to the labor department website, 59,271 Missourians filed for unemployment last week.
Claims were down by nearly half from the week before. At least 101,722 residents filed for unemployment in the second week of April.
Department officials said the unemployment rate for March 2020 was 4.5%. Nearly 200,000 state residents filed for unemployment last month, more than 250,000 have filed so far in April.
About 4.4 million Americans also filed for unemployment last week. US officials say about 16.2% of the workforce has been affected by COVID-19.
ORIGINAL: The Columbia Public Schools Board of Education is set to give an update on COVID-19 at its work session Thursday morning.
According to the meeting agenda, Superintendent Dr. Peter Stiepleman will talk about things like teaching and learning, technology services and summer school during his update.
The board also plans to talk about a waiver on graduation requirements for the 2019-2020 school year as well as salary and work schedules and a collective bargaining agreement for the 2020-2021 school year.
The meeting will start at 8:15 a.m. Thursday on Zoom.
