WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Cole County falls just shy of COVID-19 case record
UPDATE 5:45 P.M.: Cole County came just short of tying its daily record for new COVID-19 cases Wednesday.
The county health department reported 17 new cases to reach 352 on Wednesday. The number is one short of the record of 18. The county tied that record on Tuesday.
The number of active cases grew by 11 to reach 90.
Cole is one of many Mid-Missouri counties seeing a continued rise in COVID-19 cases this summer.
Callaway County reported four new cases on Wednesday for a total of 123, with 42 of those active. Earlier in the day the county's health department director and leaders of Callaway County towns issued a joint statement encouraging mask use but falling short of ordering it.
Health department Director Sharon Lynch appeared with representatives of Fulton, Auxvasse, Holts Summit, Mokane, New Bloomfield and the Village of Kingdom City to encourage mask use. Lynch read from a joint statement during the event at Fulton City Hall, saying officials in the county respect individual liberty and responsibility.
Other Mid-Missouri counties reporting new cases Wednesday include Audrain (2), Osage (1), Miller (3), Randolph (4), Montgomery (8 since July 29), Pettis (5) and Cooper (2). Boone County reported 23 new cases.
UPDATE 5:05 P.M.: The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services revised case numbers, bringing the number of new cases reported Wednesday to 23.
Two cases reported previously -- one Friday and one Saturday -- were reassigned to other counties, the department said. The reassigned case Saturday means Boone County's record for daily cases is now 60.
UPDATE 4:40 P.M.: Boone County's five-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases continued to drop Wednesday.
The county recorded 21 new COVID-19 cases to bring its total since the pandemic began to 1,302. Recoveries offset most of the new cases so the number of active cases increased by three to 219.
Another 579 people were in quarantine Wednesday because they've had close contact with positive cases.
About 450 of the county's cases have been in people in their 20s. Local health officials, like their state counterparts, say the average age of people testing positive continues to drop as more young people contract COVID-19.
Boone County's new cases have remained in the teens and twenties since setting a record at 61 on Saturday. The five-day average of new cases continues to drop, hitting 26.2 on Wednesday, according to the Columbia/Boone County health department's online dashboard.
The average has fallen from 34 on Saturday.
Boone County is among many counties statewide and in Mid-Missouri where high numbers of new COVID-19 cases continue. The summer surge has prompted Columbia Public Schools officials to consider delaying the start of classes until after Labor Day.
The growth in local cases has slowed. The rate of positive COVID-19 tests, updated last Thursday, fell to 7.7 percent after hitting a peak of nearly 16 percent in early July.
The county's hospitals are treating 23 COVID-19 patients, with six on ventilators. The hospitals report no shortages.
UPDATE 2:30 P.M.: Missouri's rolling rate of positive COVID-19 tests shot to nearly 10 percent Wednesday as the state recorded about 1,200 new COVID-19 cases.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported 1,241 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday to bring the total to 55,321 since the start of the pandemic. The seven-day rolling average of positive tests shot up from 9.1 percent Tuesday to 9.9 percent Wednesday.
The state reported seven new deaths to reach 1,273 since the pandemic started.
Wednesday was the second straight day with cases around 1,200 after 1,047 cases were reported Monday. The record is 2,084, reported Thursday. Missouri is among several states that has experienced a 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.
Watch Gov. Mike Parson's COVID-19 briefing at 3 p.m. in the player below.
The average age of COVID-19 cases is now at 43 and continues to fall, according to the state's online COVID-19 dashboard.
Mid-Missouri counties are part of that summer surge -- Boone has jumped into the top 10 in total cases and the state lists Maries County as one of the 10 counties where infections are growing the fastest.
The Missouri Hospital Association reported 882 people hospitalized as of Sunday, the last day for which figures are available. That's about 100 below the peak in early May but hospitalizations have trended upward in July and August.
The association released regional hospital reports Wednesday covering the week that ended on Saturday. The state's central region had 14 percent inpatient capacity Saturday and 37 percent of its intensive care beds. The association reports 71 percent of ventilators in the region are available, as well.
The region's prevalence of cases per 100,000 remained well below the state average. The positive test rate for the region was 6.7 percent, down from last week and the second-lowest in the state.
UPDATE 1:40 P.M.: The University of Missouri System said Wednesday that it will waive requirements for some standardized testing in 2021.
The pilot program makes standardized college admissions tests optional for undergraduates applying to UM schools for the first time in the 2021-2022 school year.
“We recognize COVID-19 and the limited accessibility and availability of standardized tests nationwide present stress and challenges for applicants. This temporary policy will eliminate a hurdle created by the pandemic,” UM System President and MU Chancellor Mun Choi said in a news release. “Applications will still be thoroughly reviewed and must meet our institutional standards for academic excellence.”
Applicants can still submit test scores but those who do not will not be penalized for doing so. Admission will be based on GPA, class rank, course load and other criteria will be used to evaluate those without test scores.
The system's Kansas City campus announced in January that it would no longer require ACT or SAT scores from applicants.
UPDATE 12:15 P.M.: Callaway County leaders stopped short Wednesday or requiring masks but used a news conference to encourage residents to wear them anyway.
Health department Director Sharon Lynch appeared with representatives of Fulton, Auxvasse, Holts Summit, Mokane, New Bloomfield and the Village of Kingdom City to encourage mask use. Lynch read from a joint statement during the event at Fulton City Hall, saying officials in the county respect individual liberty and responsibility.
Top health officials in Missouri and nationwide say mask use is one of the best ways to stop or slow the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Callaway County, like others in the region, has experienced a summer surge in case numbers. The county reported four new cases Tuesday.
Watch a replay of the conference below.
ORIGINAL: The Cooper County Health Center is posting online numbers of active COVID-19 cases in the county's school districts.
The health center made the first post Tuesday and plans to post daily updates during August to help school leaders with preparation for the school year.
The numbers represent active cases among Cooper County residents in each school district's boundaries. The figures can include people with no connection to the schools.
Health center Administrator Melanie Hutton said the idea behind publishing the numbers is to give school administrators an idea of how active the novel coronavirus is in each district.
The health center reported six active cases in the Boonville district, five in Pilot Grove and two in the Otterville district. No active cases were reported in the other districts' boundaries.
Callaway County leaders to hold news conference
Leaders from county and city governments in Callaway County will come together at noon Wednesday for a news conference.
The event will take place at Fulton City Hall and officials will present a "unifying message" related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release.
Officials from Callaway County, Fulton, Auxvasse, Holts Summit, Mokane, New Bloomfield and the Village of Kingdom City are expected to attend.
Watch the news conference at noon in the player below.
