MONDAY UPDATES: Columbia Regional Airport continues to see drops in traffic
UPDATE 10:20 P.M.: Columbia Regional Airport continues to see drops in traffic compared to 2019.
According to online data, the Columbia Regional Airport saw 72.4 percent fewer passengers last month compared to July 2019 as the COVID-19 pandemic suppressed travel.
The airport counted 6,976 passengers last month, up 3,632 from June. The number was still far below the total from the previous July which saw 25,263 passengers.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, traffic at the airport dropped nearly 43 percent compared to the previous year, with only 12,388 passengers using the airport.
The airport only had 1,045 passengers in April, counting those boarding and exiting commercial flights at the airport. Traffic that month was down 92 percent from April 2019. That number is even more dramatic when considering April 2019 traffic was affected by a bump in the runway that stopped flights for a period.
The April 2020 passenger number was the lowest of the last 10 years, even with expanding flights and destinations.
UPDATE 6:15 P.M.: Cole County reported 22 COVID-19 cases Saturday, one day after breaking its daily record.
The Cole County Health Department reported 26 cases on Friday, a daily case record. The department reported Monday on its web site that another 22 cases were recorded Saturday.
The number dropped to one case each reported Sunday and Monday.
Cole County, like other counties in the region and the state as a whole, has experienced an uptick in cases in July and August after reporting just 19 cases in June and six in May.
The health department warned Friday that not only are cases increasing, but more of the new cases were picked up locally from an unknown source, signifying more local transmission of the novel coronavirus.
Despite the large increase in cases, the number of active cases dropped by 28 to reach 73.
Counties around the area reported increased cases over the weekend. Cooper County recorded 18 new cases between Thursday and Monday along with two deaths -- the first in the county. Pettis County recorded 41 new cases over the weekend but actives went down by one.
Other counties reporting new cases over the weekend include Chariton (1), Howard (3), Randolph (5), Audrain (7) and Moniteau (3).
Boone County rolling new case average back up after brief dip
UPDATE 5:10 P.M.: Boone County's rolling average of new daily cases has increased since last week, powered by a total Saturday that was the second-highest of the pandemic.
County health officials reported 21 new cases Monday after reporting 53 Saturday and 10 on Sunday. The daily record is 59, reported Aug. 1.
Until Saturday's near-record total, Boone County had been on a six-day streak of new daily cases in the teens and twenties that had pushed the rolling average below 20. The number, which averages new cases over the last five days, had not been that low since mid-July.
On Monday the average hit 25.6.
The number of active cases dropped by 24 despite the new cases reported Monday as those sick with the virus continued to recover. The county reported 216 active cases Monday. Another 600 close contacts of positive cases were in quarantine, according to the local health department's online COVID-19 hub.
Last week county health officials, citing the sustained surge in new cases, extended the current health order through the end of August and added provisions including one requiring restaurant and bar patrons to stay seated. The modifications to the order went into effect Monday.
After a dip in July the rate of positive COVID-19 tests of county residents has also been increasing. The rate was 6.2 percent July 10-July 16 but rose to 9.7 percent for the week that ended Thursday.
The sustained growth in cases has prompted Columbia Public Schools leadership to consider starting classes after Labor Day and having students be in school part of the time and learn online part of the time. The school board will meet to review those plans at 5:30 p.m.
ABC 17 News will stream the meeting live in the player below.
State rolling positive COVID-19 rate remains above 10 percent
UPDATE 2:25 P.M.: Missouri's rolling average of positive COVID-19 tests remained above 10 percent Monday after the state reported about 1,000 new cases.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported 1,027 new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 59,954.
Missouri's cases have hovered around 1,000 since last week but dipped well below that number for one day this weekend,. The state had software problems over the weekend, leading to Saturday's case total of 1,073 not being reported until Monday.
On Sunday the state recorded just 475 new cases.
The seven-day rolling average of positives tests -- which measures the percentage of COVID-19 tests given that return positive results -- jumped up to 11.5 percent Sunday before settling at 10.8 percent Monday.
That rate has been on an upward trend for several weeks, with state leaders saying they're seeing more spread of the novel coronavirus in Missouri, particularly among young people. The average age of those infected with COVID-19 continues to fall, with the state reporting a seven-day rolling average of 41 years old as of Monday.
The state reported six deaths over the weekend and none Monday.
Hospitalizations have also trended up as the state has experienced a surge in cases this summer. That number has hovered around 900 for the entire month and was at 923 on Friday, the last day for which numbers are available.
The peak is 984 reported on May 5, according to the state's online COVID-19 dashboard.
Boone County remained in the top 10 of local jurisdictions for total cases and Maries County was the the top 10 of counties with the fastest case growth.
Among Mid-Missouri counties, both Pettis and Saline are in the top tier for cases per 100,000 population.
Cooper County confirms two COVID-19 deaths
The Cooper County Public Health Center said two people died from COVID-19 on Sunday.
A post on the health center's website said the deaths marked the first two coronavirus-related deaths in the county since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
The post said health officials would not release the names of the individuals.
It's unclear from the announcement how old either person was or if they had any underlying health conditions.
As of Sunday, the health center confirmed 138 cases of COVID-19 in the county.
A separate post on the center's website said 45 of the cases were active as of Sunday and 93 had recovered. It included two people were hospitalized with coronavirus.
