TUESDAY UPDATES: Miller County reports first COVID-19 death
UPDATE 6:28 P.M.: Miller County reported its first COVID-19 death Tuesday.
The Miller County Health Center reported the death on Facebook, saying it would not release any other details.
County health officials in the same post said cases there continue to increase but recoveries are largely keeping up with new positives. The number of active cases has hovered around 20, the department says.
"The Miller County Health Center strongly encourages businesses to adopt policies requiring the use of masks by their staff, especially those employees that cannot distance themselves from co-workers and customers," according to the post.
In addition to the death, the county reported seven new cases Tuesday, with active cases increasing by six.
Miller County is one of several in Mid-Missouri that continue to experience a summer surge in COVID-19 cases.
Cole County reported 18 new cases Tuesday for a total of 335. Active cases increased by 12 to reach 79. The county health department reports about 2.3 percent of county residents tested for COVID-19 have been positive.
Pettis County logged an increase of 13 cases Tuesday but its active cases dropped by 36. Other area counties reporting new cases Tuesday include Chariton, Maries, Howard and Randolph.
UPDATE 5:35 P.M.: Boone County reported 20 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, the largest daily increase since Saturday's record of 61 new cases.
The new cases bring the county's total to 1,281 since the beginning of the pandemic. Four Boone County residents have died from COVID-19.
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reported on its COVID-19 online information hub that 216 cases are active and another 500 close contacts of positive cases are in quarantine.
Like much of the state and the nation, Boone County has experienced a summer surge in cases that began in late June and gained speed last month.
The rate of positive cases fell last week to 7.7 percent from an early July peak of nearly 16 percent. However, the number remains well above the 0.9 percent rate to start June.
The five-day rolling average of new daily cases peaked at 42.2 on July 11. The number dropped by more than half in less than a week but has since been trending back up. The average was at 27 on Tuesday.
Boone County's hospitals reported treating 23 COVID-19 patients Tuesday, with nine of them in intensive care and six on ventilators. However, hospitals reported no shortages in equipment, staff or beds.
UPDATE 3:15 P.M.: Randolph County health officials are warning the public about congregants at a Moberly church being exposed to COVID-19.
The Randolph County Health Department said in a news release Tuesday that a person who had attended the 8 a.m. Sunday service at St. Pius X Catholic Church had tested positive for COVID-19.
The department said its staff is working to identify close contacts, which are people who were within 6 feet of the infected person for at least 15 minutes. Anyone who attended the service should monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 until Aug. 16, the department said.
This is the second day in a row the department has warned about possible exposure at a church. The department reported Monday that congregants at The Pentecostal Church in Moberly who attended the 10 a.m. Sunday service might have been exposed.
UPDATE 2:20 P.M.: Missouri reported more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday for the second day in a row.
However, the 1,193 new cases reported Monday were nearly 900 cases below the record of 2,084 reported Thursday. The state Department of Health and Senior Services reported 11 new deaths for a total of 1,266.
Missouri is among several states that has experienced a new surge in cases this summer. State officials have said the increased cases represent not just more testing but more spreading of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, especially among younger adults.
Officials have also said the rate of positive test results has been increasing. The seven-day average positive test rate was 9.1 percent as of Tuesday -- a large increase over the rates seen through much of the pandemic. The rate was 9.4 percent on Monday.
The state health department reported 889 people hospitalized as of Friday -- the last day for which information was available -- on its COVID-19 online dashboard. The number peaked at about 980 in early May. Officials have said hospitalizations are on an upward trend.
UPDATE 1:25 P.M.: Officials in Osage County said Tuesday that the county has recorded its first COVID-19 death.
The death was of a retired person who succumbed to the disease after a protracted battle, according to a post on the county's 911/emergency management Facebook page.
The post says the county's COVID-19 cases stand at 40, which is up from 30 just five days ago. Ten of those cases are active.
The Osage County death was the second reported in Mid-Missouri since Friday, when Boone County reported its fourth death from COVID-19.
ORIGINAL: Blair Oaks R-II School District finalized its reopening plan after a school board vote Monday night.
Similar to other plans from Mid-Missouri school districts, it calls for social distancing, COVID-19 screenings and increased cleaning practices.
The plan also included color-coded guidelines for risk of COVID-19 exposure. The green, yellow and red levels of risk come from the Cole County Health Department, the plan said.
Masks will not be required in schools during green levels of risk. Students and staff may be required to wear masks during yellow and red levels of risk when social distancing is not possible, according to the plan.
Classroom furniture will be rearranged to move students further apart, the plan said.
The plan included students will report directly to their homeroom upon arriving at school. School schedules will be altered to stagger the use of lunchrooms, playgrounds and other common spaces, as well as, changing arrival and dismissal procedures.
Students will be placed in small groups with other students and teachers they will interact with on a daily basis. The groups may be rearranged throughout the year the plan said.
It included the small groups may not be possible for middle school and high school students but that assigned seating may limit contact between those students.
Staff members and students are expected to have their temperatures taken before the school day starts, according to the plan.
The reopening document said all visitors will be screened for COVID-19. Non-essential visitors may not be allowed into school buildings on days where the COVID-19 risk is yellow or red, the plan said.
Surfaces, including school laptops and tablets will be sanitized regularly. District officials said school custodial staff will have cleaning supplies in every classroom.
