COVID-19 testing in Boone County decreases as positivity rate increases
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Columbia/Boone County Health Department said fewer Boone County residents were tested in the last week, but more positive cases have been reported.
For the week of Aug. 7 to Aug. 13, the positivity rate was 11.1%, which is a 1.4% increase from the previous week.
A spokesperson for MU Health, Eric Maze, said the average number of tests has slightly decreased since the peak of COVID-19.
He said, the average number of tests for July was approximately 359 per day, and the average for August so far is 285 per day.
Mark Wakefield, Associate Chief Medical Officer for MU Health Care, said their knowledge of who should be tested has changed since the beginning of the pandemic.
People with COVID-19 symptoms, people who have been exposed to the virus, or asymptomatic patients who are having a procedure are all able to be tested.
MU Health Care has improved it's availability of testing, but Wakefield said the resources are not unlimited.
"We have to be wise with how we utilize those resources, so that's testing people who are at risk," he said. "This preserve resources, conserves supplies, and decreases problems with access to testing when needed."
Wakefield said the positivity rate for people who are symptomatic is increasing at a higher rate.
On Aug. 3, MU Health Care closed its drive-thru testing site near the Mizzou softball stadium and starting conducting all drive-thru testing for COVID-19 at the Mizzou North location.
"Since opening the second site, testing volume for the two locations has leveled off, allowing the on-campus location to close," Maze said.
As of Friday afternoon MU Health has done a total of 39,240 tests, and Boone Hospital Center has done a total of 14,140 tests, 433 which are positive.
