FRIDAY UPDATES: Cole County reports second-highest daily COVID-19 increase
UPDATE 6:20 P.M.: Cole County reported its second-highest COVID-19 daily case total Friday.
The Cole County Health Department reported 45 new cases, bringing the county's total to 676 since the start of the pandemic. The county has now logged 386 cases this month alone.
The 45 cases are second only to the 65 reported Saturday amid an outbreak that sickened dozens at a Jefferson City nursing home.
Active cases increased by 25 for a total of 171.
Cole County began releasing regional dashboards this week with more details about COVID-19 cases. According to this week's release, the county's positivity rate for the week that ended Thursday was a little more than 8 percent.
The rate began to rise in mid-June after starting that month at zero. The ascent accelerated at the start of August.
Cole County reports 35 percent of its cases are in the 20-39 age group.
Several other Mid-Missouri counties also logged double-digit case increases Friday.
Miller County reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 Friday to reach 190. The number of active cases jumped 10 to reach 42.
Pettis County, where cases have grown quickly this week, reported 24 new COVID-19 infections and an increase of seven active cases. Saline County reported 11 new cases.
Other local counties reporting new cases Friday include Chariton (1), Randolph (3), Moniteau (2) and Howard (5).
Phelps County reported its first COVID-19 death on Friday -- a person in their 70s with underlying health conditions who died at home.
Boone County hits COVID-19 record for third straight day
UPDATE 4:50 P.M.: Boone County reached record numbers for new COVID-19 cases for the third straight day Friday, this time shattering the old record.
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reported 81 new cases Friday, breaking the record of 64 reached the day before.
The county has seen an intense surge of cases over the past week, reporting 308 in the past seven days alone.
County health officials reported Friday that the rate of positive tests dropped in the week that ended Thursday despite record levels of cases to close out that period. It wasn't immediately clear how Friday's total will affect the rate.
Despite the record increase the number of active cases dropped 12 to settle at 311.
More than half of the new cases were in the age 20-24 group. Classes at the University of Missouri are scheduled to start next week.
The county reported 663 close contacts of known cases in quarantine. With the record case total reported Friday, the five-day average of new cases jumped from 35.4 to 47.4
The number of new cases plays an important role in the decision of whether Columbia Public Schools students will attend classes in person and how often. The district uses the number of new cases over the last 14 days per 10,000 in the district boundaries.
That number jumped more than five points to 29.5 after Thursday's record report but has not been updated today.
The health department reported 31 patients with COVID-19 in Boone County hospitals Friday, according to its online COVID-19 dashboard. The number was unchanged from the day before and is a high for the pandemic.
However, hospitals reported no shortages.
The health department said in a statement that the jump in cases was expected as students return to the city this fall. The department said it does not break down which cases are in students and which are not, however. The student population is counted in county population totals, the department said.
Cases have increased most quickly in people younger than 30, the department said, but other age groups have been increasing as well. The department cited growth in both the 30-34 and 40-44 age brackets.
The department said the massive surge in cases could cause delays in investigations that identify contacts of infected people.
Callaway County reports second COVID-19 death
UPDATE 4:25 P.M.: Callaway County has reported its second COVID-19 death.
The county health department reported the death in a brief statement on its website Thursday.
"We are very sad to report that we have had our 2nd death. We received official notification of the death this morning," the department said.
No other information about the death was provided.
The county reported 226 total COVID-19 cases Friday, an increase of eight cases compared to Thursday. The county's active cases also increased eight and stood Friday at 71.
The county had added 24 new cases in the last two days.
Missouri positive COVID-19 test rate ticks up with 1,000-plus new cases
UPDATE 2:58 P.M.: The rate of positive COVID-19 tests over the last seven days in Missouri ticked up Friday after dropping below 11 percent on Thursday.
The rate -- which measures the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who receive positive results -- went to 10.8 percent Thursday after several days of 11 percent or higher. On Friday, the rate went back to 11 percent as the state reported 1,231 new cases.
Friday was the third straight with more than 1,000 new cases.
The state reported two new deaths for a total of 1,419. Total cases are now at 72,964.
More than 896,000 Missourians have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. The increase in new cases this summer has brought to positivity rate for the entire pandemic to 8 percent.
Health officials say many of those new cases are in younger people who are less vulnerable to COVID-19. Of Boone County's record-breaking 64 new cases Thursday, half were in the 20-24 age range.
Only 48 of the state's deaths have occurred in people under 50.
However, officials have cautioned young people not to attend parties and to follow medical guidance to stop the spread of the virus to more vulnerable people.
Missouri COVID-19 hospitalizations remained above 900 as of Tuesday -- the latest data available, according to the state's online COVID-19 dashboard. The number has fluctuated this month between 840 and 966.
Jefferson City Schools to require masks for all students
UPDATE 2:30 P.M.: The Jefferson City School District will now require masks for all students in grades K-12.
The district updated its return-to-class plan on Thursday. The old plan, first released July 15, required students in grades 6-12 to wear masks any time social distancing can't be maintained.
Under the revised plan released Thursday all students will now have to wear masks if they cannot maintain social distance. The district posted the revised plan on its website.
Click here to see school reopening plans for Mid-Missouri districts
COVID-19 cases have grown significantly in Cole County since July 15. The county has logged 341 cases this month and health officials have said they are seeing the novel coronavirus spreading more.
A Jefferson City nursing home is also experiencing a major COVID-19 outbreak that has sickened dozens of residents and staff.
St. Louis County extends mask requirements
UPDATE 1:58 P.M.: St. Louis County will expand its requirement on face coverings, including a provision that all students kindergarten through high school wear one.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the new guidelines were announced Friday. The guidelines are effective starting Monday.
The school regulation applies to private as well as public schools, for all students in kindergarten through 12th grade. They may remove masks for physical education, choir or music class, during school-sponsored sports or while eating, as long as they remain six feet apart.
The new regulations also require businesses to deny entry to customers who refuse to wear face coverings.
Boone County positivity rate falls after daily COVID-19 case record set
UPDATE 12:10 P.M.: The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reported Friday that the rate of people testing positive for COVID-19 fell in the last week.
The announcement came a day after the county hit a new record for daily COVID-19 cases with 64. The department's assistant director, Scott Clardy, told ABC 17 News on Thursday that the rate was likely to fall despite the surge in new cases because of an elevated number of tests last weekend.
The positivity rate -- which measures the percentage of people tested for novel coronavirus who get a positive result -- was 10.6 percent for the week that ended Thursday. The rate dropped 0.5 percent from the week before.
"Overall, there were more tests performed on people who live in Boone County (1,737 total tests) with more positives reported (224 total cases)," the health department said in social media posts.
Health experts say rates higher than 10 percent are a cause for concern.
Boone County's cases are on an upswing, with new daily totals tying the old record on Wednesday before setting a new record Thursday. The high numbers have pushed up the rolling average of daily cases to 35.4 and caused a key metric used by Columbia Public Schools to jump five points as of Thursday.
Callaway, Boone courts relax some COVID-19 restrictions
The 13th Judicial Circuit is relaxing courtroom restrictions put in place last month after worker at the Boone County Courthouse tested positive for COVID-19.
The court administrator’s office said in a release Thursday that the circuit is moving from Phase 2, which limited courtroom capacity to 25 people in most cases, to Phase 3, which simply requires social distancing in courtrooms.
Masks will still be required for people inside 13th Circuit courthouses in Boone and Callaway counties and the courts will try to limit in-person proceedings.
The court administrator’s office said there have been no other positive cases in courthouse workers or their contacts since the initial July 24 test result.
Lake Ozark officials approve two events amid COVID-19 pandemic
The Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen approved two special event permits Thursday night as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
A post on the city's Facebook page said the permits were approved for the 2020 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Meet and Greet and the 32nd annual Magic Dragon Street Meet Nationals car show.
A statement posted on the city's website said as many as 5,000 people are expected to attend the shootout meet and greet, which is being held on Wednesday.
The website included special precautions will be taken because of COVID-19. Lake Ozark City Clerk Kathleen Vance said hand sanitizer stations will be placed around town and that masks will be made available.
In addition to approving the event permit, alderment also signed off on an agreement allowing some businesses to sell alcohol between 4-10 p.m.
The event included a parade will be held at 5 p.m. with all events ending at 10 p.m.
The event permit did not include if masks or social distancing would be required at the shootout meet and greet.
The street meet nationals car show is scheduled to be held Sept. 11-13.
Car show organizers said in the event permit that it would utilize hand sanitizer stations from the city and that the group was looking into adding hand washing stations around the area. It included the hand washing stations would be provided by a local boy scout troop.
