TUESDAY UPDATES: Callaway County reports another COVID-19 case

EDITOR'S NOTE: The date of the Eldon School District extension has been corrected.

UPDATE 5:50 P.M.: The Callaway County Health Department reported another COVID-19 case late Tuesday afternoon.

The department said in a news release that 17 people have now tested positive for the virus in Callaway County. The patient and family are self-isolating and are under the care of their family physician, the department said.

Many of the cases were identified at William Woods University, where 13 students tested positive. University spokesman John Fougere said only two of those students remain on campus.

UPDATE 4:35 P.M.: Boone County health officials are now reporting 66 cases of COVID-19 in the county.

The website tracking the county's COVID-19 pages was updated late Tuesday afternoon. The number stood at 63 cases earlier in the day.

Of the 66 cases, 42 are active and 23 people have recovered from COVID-19. One person has died of the illness in Boone County. One person remained hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday.

Twenty-two of the cases are in people 45 years old or older. Health officials say 17 of the cases were picked up locally without known contact with an infected person.

The state reported more than 1,300 cases on Tuesday, jumping from a little more than 1,000 cases to start the day.

UPDATE 2:10 P.M.: The statewide number of COVID-19 cases rose about 30 percent on Tuesday.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services posted on its website Tuesday afternoon that 1,327 people in the state have tested positive for COVID-19. The total was 1,031 to start the day. Officials say 15,645 people have been tested.

One week ago the number of cases stood at 255.

The state says 14 people have died from COVID-19.

The Columbia/Boone County Health Department posted an update on case numbers at about the same time, saying 63 cases have now been identified.

St. Louis County continues to have the highest number of cases in the state with 492.

Of the total cases in the state, only 44 have been identified as travel related.

Boone County health officials say 39 of the county's COVID-19 cases are active and 23 infected people have recovered.

Cole County is reporting 25 cases, 22 of them active.

Hospital spokespeople said three COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in Boone and Cole counties Monday.

UPDATE 1:30 P.M.: The Missouri Military Academy said Tuesday that it will extend the amount of time cadets will have to stay on campus without leaving.

The school began what it is calling a "containment period" on March 13 as COVID-19 spread and schools around the state closed. The period was originally set to last for 21 days but now will last through at least April 30.

More than 1,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 statewide.

Since the closure, no visitors have been allowed on campus except those with business deemed essential. Cadets have been kept on campus and have had minimal contact with anyone but faculty and staff, the school said in a news release.

The release said the period could be extended.

The academy is located in Mexico, Missouri, in Audrain County. Audrain County health officials said in a news release Tuesday that no cases of COVID-19 had been identified in the county.

Seven tests are pending.

However, last week the county said a Callaway County resident worked at the Mexico Middle School for two days during the last week of classes.

UPDATE 12:40 P.M.: The Eldon School District said Tuesday that it is extending its closure to April 24.

The district closed this month as schools around the state shut down amid fears of COVID-19's spread. Originally school officials had hoped to return April 6.

The district posted on Facebook on Tuesday that the closure will now last through at least April 24.

Every public and charter school is the state is closed to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus. More than 1,000 people in Missouri have tested positive for COVID-19.

UPDATE 11:30 A.M.: The Callaway County Health Department is reporting another case of COVID-19.

The department said Tuesday morning in a Facebook post that 16 cases of novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Callaway County. Of those cases, 10 are active and six people have recovered from the virus.

The number of cases statewide stood at 1,031 on Tuesday morning, though state health officials usually update that number in the early afternoon. Statewide 13 people have died from complications of COVID-19.

Camden schools extend closure

Public school districts in Camden County will extend their closures through April 30, according to a joint statement.

"The ongoing spread of COVID-19 in our region requires school districts to make difficult decisions. These decisions are being made in the best interests of public health," according to the statement, which was posted on the School of the Osage's Facebook page.

The closure includes Climax Springs, Camdenton and Macks Creek and applies to all school-related activities.

UPDATE 8:24 A.M.: Health departments in Osage and Macon counties confirmed new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday.

The Osage County Emergency Operations Center said a second person tested positive for novel coronavirus Tuesday morning.

A Facebook post from the emergency operations center said at least two other cases are pending in the county.

A news release from the Macon County Health Department said at least the second case of COVID-19 was confirmed Monday. It included the person is self-quarantined.

Health officials in both counties say the cases reported are community-related.

ORIGINAL: The U.S. death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic reached a tragic milestone Monday.

More than 3,000 people have died from the virus. About 165,000 people have tested positive for the virus with only 6,000 recovered.

Around the world, there are nearly 790,000 cases and 37,000 deaths.