MONDAY UPDATES: Cole County sees weekend case jump, sets new daily record
UPDATE 6:20 P.M.: Cole County has logged 95 new cases of COVID-19 over the past four days.
The Cole County Health Department reported the new cases between Friday and Monday, according to data posted on the department's website. The totals include a daily record of 57 on Saturday. The old record, 38, was reported Wednesday.
Several of the cases are likely from Jefferson City Manor nursing home, where 39 residents and 29 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. Three of those residents have died, the company said Monday, and a staff member is hospitalized.
Cole County continues to see a surge in cases, coinciding with an increase statewide. The county has reported 178 new cases in the last week alone. The county recorded just 19 cases in June.
The health department said 148 of the county's 585 cases are active. Active cases have grown by 65 since Thursday.
Moberly closes another office after positive COVID-19 test
UPDATE 6:10 P.M. The City of Moberly said Monday that it is closing its Parks and Recreation office after positive COVID-19 tests.
The Randolph County Health Department shared the city’s post on its Facebook page Monday. The post says the office will be under quarantine through the end of the month after a worker tested positive. The city asked people wanting to make reservations or sign up for new services to do so by phone or online.
The city on Friday said it was closing its water office until at least Aug. 27 after a positive test.
The Randolph County Health Department on Monday reported eight new COVID-19 cases over the weekend. The county’s total is 91, with 26 of them active.
Other Mid-Missouri counties reported increases over the weekend as a summer surge in COVID-19 cases continues. Pettis County reported 28 new cases since Friday, with active cases jumping 25 to hit 162. Callaway County reported 15 new cases since Thursday to reach 175. The county health department says 53 of those cases are active.
Other counties reporting new cases since Friday include Osage (7), Camden (41 since Tuesday), Audrain (9), Maries (4) and Morgan (2).
Boone County new cases drop into the teens
UPDATE 5:30 P.M.: Boone County's new COVID-19 cases plummeted into the teens Monday after hitting 50 on Saturday.
The 11 new cases reported Monday bring the county's total since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to 1,619. Active cases dropped 15 to settle at 299.
Another 502 close contacts of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 were in quarantine.
The five-day average of new daily cases dropped to 28.2 Monday after hitting 31.6 on Saturday. The average has gone as low as 17.6 this month as Boone County continues to see wide variation in the number of cases reported each day.
However, county health officials reported last week that the rate at which people are testing positive is increasing as fewer tests are being conducted.
The positive rate -- or the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who get a positive result -- was at 11.1 percent for the week that ended Thursday, according to the county health department's online COVID-19 hub. That's up from 6.2 percent in mid-July.
Experts have said rates above 10 percent are generally cause for alarm.
The county dashboard did not have updated information on hospitalizations Monday. As of Friday, 29 people were in Boone County hospitals with COVID-19.
Columbia Public Schools is tracking the number of cases per 10,000 people over the last two weeks in its zip codes to determine what level of in-class instruction will take place when school begins Sept. 8. That number was at 24 as of Sunday.
The current number means children will be in classrooms for part of the week. For in-person classes each day, the rate would have to reach 10 or fewer. For classes to go all online the rate has to hit 50 cases.
School officials plan to announce how classes will be conducted next Monday.
The Columbia housing market continued to show improvement Monday, with the Columbia Board of Realtors reporting July home sales and sale prices up over last year. Inventory, however, remained down.
Three dead at Jefferson City nursing home with COVID-19 outbreak
UPDATE 4:05 P.M.: Three residents of a Jefferson City nursing home experiencing a major COVID-19 outbreak have died.
A spokesman for JMS Senior Living, which owns Jefferson City Manor, said in a statement Monday that three of the home's 39 residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 have died.
The deaths were from "underlying causes," according to the statement.
Another 29 staff members have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. One staff member is hospitalized and the others are in quarantine at home until they're cleared to return to work.
The nursing home has 67 residents, according to stats posted on the JMS Senior Living website.
More than 150 residents and staff were tested last week and the results came in starting Thursday, the statement says.
The company says it screens residents and staff daily.
"Since March, the Jefferson City Manor staff has screened every resident and staff member every day for possible signs and symptoms of the virus and provided enhanced infection control precautions," the statement says. "This is the first time any Jefferson City Manor residents or staff have tested positive for coronavirus."
The nursing home's CEO, Ben Scheulen, said in the statement that the health and safety of residents and workers is a priority for the company.
“We are staying in very close communication with local and state health officials to ensure we are taking all the appropriate steps under current circumstances," Scheulen said. "For example, we have designated certain staff to care only for COVID-19 positive residents."
The nursing home has also hired contractors for special cleaning and suspended nonessential visits and group activities, including group dining.
The home is also working with health authorities and other JMS homes to ensure it has enough equipment and staff.
Chezney Schulte, the communicable disease coordinator with the Cole County Health Department, said the agency is working with state health officials and the nursing home to perform contact tracing and quarantine close contacts of the infected cases.
Cole County has reported increased daily COVID-19 cases over the past several weeks. The county reported a record of 38 new cases on Wednesday and had 490 cases total as of Friday. Of those, 83 were considered active.
Callaway County Commission approves $246,000 in grants for small businesses
UPDATE 3:47 P.M.: The Callaway County Commission approved 123 grants each for $2,000 for area small businesses Monday morning.
Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann said the grant funding came from CARES Act money.
In all, the commission approved $246,000 to reimburse businesses for COVID-19 spending.
Jungermann said the grants were used for businesses that purchased PPE and other coronavirus-related expenses.
The commissioner added applicants were asked to provide information about the business and be in good standing with the state.
"We've done some good things with this money and we hope to do more," Jungermann said.
The commission along with the Callaway County Chamber of Commerce and the Fulton-Area Development Foundation started accepting applications in mid-July. The application deadline was Aug. 7.
Jungermann included more businesses may receive grants in the future and that the commission wanted to let the public know about the granting opportunity.
The county received $5.2 million in CARES Act funding earlier this year. Jungermann said some funding has also been given out to county public schools.
Missouri reports more than two dozen COVID-19 deaths
UPDATE 2:45 P.M.: Missouri on Monday reported the most deaths it has seen in a 24-hour period in several weeks.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported 26 new COVID-19 deaths Monday, bringing the total to 1,393 since the pandemic began. The state reported 1,148 new cases for a total of 68,623 since the pandemic began.
The 1,148 new cases reported Monday continue a trend of eight days with case totals higher than 1,000.
The seven-day rolling positive rate stayed above 11 percent Monday. The rate had dipped to just 8.9 percent on Saturday but has been on an upward trend this summer as a higher percentage of people who are tested for COVID-19 receive positive results.
The Missouri Hospital Association reported 853 Missourians hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, the last day for which the number is available. Hospitalizations have increased since the spring but have remained steady in the 800s for more than a week, according to the state's online COVID-19 dashboard.
Nearly 859,000 Missourians have been tested for COVID-19.
Cole and Howard counties have climbed into the top 10 counties in the state for fastest case growth by percentage. The case surge in Cole County includes 36 active cases at the Jefferson City Manor nursing home.
University of Missouri bars attendance at events with more than 20 people
UPDATE 12:15 P.M.: The University of Missouri is telling students, faculty and staff not to attend events with more than 20 people.
MU sent out a notice to campus about new COVID-19 policies Monday. Among the policies is one that bars attendance at those events either on- or off-campus.
"An event is defined as a communal gathering on or off campus, outside of a classroom setting, lasting longer than 15 minutes," according to the notice. "Please note that this new policy uses a lower limit than Boone County’s maximum of 100 attendees."
Local officials last week urged students to be responsible and avoid events such as house parties without social distancing. Classes begin next Monday.
Event organizers can request special permission, MU says. Face coverings will be required at any approved events.
"Event organizers are required to have a supply of extra face coverings on hand for guests who forget their own," MU says.
Students are also required to report a positive COVID-19 diagnosis within four hours. Faculty and staff are required to report a positive test result immediately to their supervisor.
The university said it will also roll out a symptom tracking app called #Campus Clear.
More than half of residents in Jefferson City nursing home have COVID-19
ORIGINAL: More than half of the residents of a Jefferson City nursing home have an active case of COVID-19, the company that owns the home reports on its website.
JMS Senior Living reported 36 active cases of COVID-19 in residents of Jefferson City Manor as of Monday on its website. The site says the home has 67 residents.
Another 28 staff members have the disease caused by the novel coronavirus and are not working, according to the website.
Jefferson City Manor is the only facility listed on the JMS website with an active case in residents.
A representative of JMS was not immediately available for comment.
Cole County's health department reported 490 cases of COVID-19 as of Friday, with 83 of them active. Two people have died from the disease, according to the department.
The nursing home reported two case clusters -- defined as when three or more residents or staff experience the onset of symptoms in a 72-hour period.
JMS says it is limiting visits with residents, though some outdoor visits can still be scheduled. Residents, staff and visitors are being screened for COVID-19 symptoms and tests are being administered to residents and staff.
