WEDNESDAY UPDATES: New COVID-19 case in Callaway County
COVID-19 case numbers might differ among state and local health authorities because of issues with reporting and address verification.
UPDATE 5:20 P.M.: Callaway County reported another new case of COVID-19 on Wednesday after reporting two over the weekend.
The case reported Wednesday brings the total in Callaway County to 32 since the pandemic began, with four of those cases active. The new cases over the weekend were the first reported in Callaway County since June 1.
The county reminded residents in its news release about the new case that Gov. Mike Parson is set to announce Thursday the next steps in COVID-19 health orders. The current statewide order is set to expire Monday.
UPDATE 4:30 P.M.: Boone County gained five COVID-19 cases on Wednesday after reporting just one new case Tuesday.
The increase brings the number of new cases since Thursday to 36, continuing a trend of rapid growth after cases went up slowly in late April and through mid-May. The total stood Wednesday at 198 cases since the pandemic began.
The county has reported 48 cases since June 1.
However, local health officials reported no Boone County residents are currently hospitalized and only nine have been hospitalized during the entire pandemic. COVID-19 has claimed two lives in Boone County, according to official statistics.
The site says 38 cases are active, an increase of three from Tuesday. Another 57 people are in isolation because of contact with infected people.
The local health department's information hub reports 12 COVID-19 patients from other counties in Boone County hospitals, with eight of them in intensive care and five of them on ventilators.
Audrain County also continued its rapid case growth Wednesday by adding four new cases, bringing the county's total to 122. The county reported only two cases as recently as May 17.
UPDATE 3:25 P.M.: The University of Missouri will begin fall classes on Aug. 24 after the school's faculty council rejected an earlier start last week.
UM System President and interim MU Chancellor Mun Choi said in a letter to campus Wednesday that classes will start Aug. 24 after he had discussions with faculty leaders and the UM Board of Curators. The academic calendar was one item on the agenda for a curators' committee meeting Wednesday morning.
The council on Thursday voted down a proposal to start classes Aug. 12 and end them Nov. 20, with finals coming after Thanksgiving break. Instead, the council approved starting Aug. 24 and move classes to online-only after the break if needed because of COVID-19.
"We will continue to monitor the pandemic situation closely and be ready to make any adjustments, which could include moving to remote instruction or other models for delivering instruction should that become necessary," Choi wrote in the letter.
UPDATE 2:50 P.M.: The number of COVID-19 cases around the state jumped by more than 270 on Wednesday.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported 15,187 cases Wednesday, a 274-case increase that pushed the number over 15,000. The department reported eight new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the statewide total to 848.
A large chunk of the increase Wednesday -- 72 of the new cases -- came from previous testing at Ft. Leonard Wood in Pulaski County, the department said in a tweet.
Even without the Ft. Leonard Wood cases, Wednesday's jump was the third increase of more than 200 cases this month -- cases went up by 290 on Thursday and 248 on June 2. The increase Thursday was the biggest since May 4.
The increased cases come amid increased testing by state and local officials. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said testing is a major key to reopening the state fully. He tweeted Monday that testing increased from 16,000 per week in late April to 53,000 the week of May 25.
Part of the testing increase is from community testing events, where anyone can be tested for the live novel coronavirus. Testing is set for Sedalia on Monday, Keytesville next Wednesday, California on June 19 and June 20 and in Montgomery City and Linn on June 20.
More than 251,000 people have been tested statewide since the pandemic began, according to state records. Of those about 6 percent have tested positive for COVID-19. The number of cases statewide has gone up 6.1 percent over the last week, according to state reporting.
Tuesday's Missouri Hospital Association report said 533 people were hospitalized statewide, a decrease of 53 compared to the previous day. Wednesday report was not yet available.
UPDATE 12:05 P.M.: Amtrak says it will add a third coach car to its Missouri River Runner.
The train service announced the addition Wednesday morning on Twitter. The additional car will be in service starting Thursday.
The additional car will add more seating and allow for social distancing, according to Amtrak. The River Runner's schedule might be affected by service reductions that Amtrak chalks up to reduced travel demand because of COVID-19, according to Amtrak's website.
ORIGINAL: State Technical College in Linn said Wednesday implementing a fall semester schedule that could let out in late November.
The technical school said in a release it hopes to have students finish the semester on-campus.
The release said State Tech has built three "flex weeks" into its fall schedule. School officials said the flex weeks would be used to close campus in case of a COVID-19 outbreak. If none of the weeks are used, the semester would end before Thanksgiving, according to the school.
State Tech spokesman Brandon McElwain said the school hasn't decided when students what day students will return to campus. He said a decision still needed to be made when to hold fall orientation.
According to the release, the semester will start the week of Aug. 24.
McElwain added class and lab sizes will be reduced when students return. The spokesman said students and instructors will be required to wear face coverings on campus.
