TUESDAY UPDATES: Cole County reports more than a thousand cases since start of pandemic
UPDATE 10:15 P.M.: Cole County has now seen more than a thousand COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
According to the Cole County Health Department's website, there are 142 active cases as of Wednesday.
The county reached 1,007 total cases, 57 of which were reported in long-term care facilities. Officials say 805 cases have recovered.
Data shows the county has seen a total of 10 COVID-19-related deaths, seven of which have been in nursing homes.
UPDATE 4:40 P.M.: Boone County recorded 51 COVID-19 cases Tuesday, just three days after reaching a daily record.
The county reported 221 cases on Saturday, shattering the old record of 168 set last Wednesday. Since then, Boone County has seen double-digit daily cases totals. The 51 new cases reported Tuesday are the fewest cases reported since Aug. 24.
The relatively low case total Tuesday continued a drop in the five-day average of new daily cases that began Sunday. The average dropped to 108.6 on Tuesday after reaching a peak of 143.4 on Saturday, according to the health department's online COVID-19 dashboard.
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services has yet to provide an updated positivity rate for last week, citing delays caused by the local department not receiving all the necessary data from state health officials.
Tuesday's new cases brought Boone County's total since the start of the pandemic to 3,536. The health department said 1,055 of those cases are active and another 1,465 people are in quarantine because they were exposed to novel coronavirus.
The health department reported 34 of Tuesday's new cases were in the 18-22 age group -- a group that has helped fuel the summer case surge in Boone County.
The surge has pushed a rate tracked by Columbia Public Schools to nearly twice the level at which administrators recommend online classes. The number of cases over the last 14 days per 10,000 people in the district dropped slightly Tuesday to 90. That number peaked at 91.4 on Monday.
The number of patients with COVID-19 in Boone County hospitals hit a record Tuesday at 50. The health department says 15 of those patients are in intensive care and four are on ventilators.
Missouri records second straight day of COVID-19 cases below 1,000
UPDATE 2:35 P.M.: The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services reported fewer than 1,000 COVID-19 cases Tuesday for the second straight day.
However, the seven-day positivity rate -- a measure of the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who get a positive result -- stayed steady at 13.8 percent.
The state reported 773 new cases Tuesday, a drop of 133 compared to Monday. The state has seen two days of cases below 1,000 after elevated totals this weekend, including 1,987 cases Saturday.
Health officials reported two more deaths after a weekend that also saw elevated death totals thanks to a reporting backlog.
The state on Tuesday reported 95,113 total COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began and 1,661 deaths.
The 13.8 percent positivity rate indicates a continuing summer surge in COVID-19 cases around the state. Health officials say many of the new cases are in younger people, and the average age of people testing positive for the novel coronavirus over the past week was at 38 on Tuesday.
Boone County, which entered the top 10 for fastest case growth by percentage last week, remained there Tuesday, according to the department's online COVID-19 dashboard.
Boone is also in the top 10 of Missouri jurisdictions for total cases and Columbia was ranked among the top cities in the country for case growth by the New York Times over the weekend.
Boone, along with Saline and Pettis, is also among the top tier of counties in the state for cases per 100,000 people.
The state reported 893 people hospitalized as of Saturday -- the most recent figure available. The record is 1,004 on Aug. 27.
MU requires everyone on campus to wear masks
UPDATE 1:51 P.M.: A message sent out to University of Missouri students and staff Tuesday said everyone on campus is now required to wear a mask, even when outdoors.
The email sent out from the MU Chancellor's office said people who are alone and socially distanced will have to wear a mask under the new rule. It applies to all of the campus, as well as, University of Missouri Health Care areas.
Face coverings are required to fully cover a persons' nose and mouth.
It included people eating or drinking together outdoors have to stay six feet apart and masks have to be put back on after eating.
The policy adds people who work alone in an office or in a shared workspace who are able to socially distance at six feet are not required to wear a mask. Others who are not able to social distance themselves are required to wear a mask.
It included face coverings must be worn during meetings. The policy was put into effect Tuesday.
University of Missouri adds more than 100 active COVID-19 cases
The University of Missouri's active COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 100 since the school last reported them Friday.
MU reported on its website Tuesday that 658 students living in Boone County have active novel coronavirus infections. The school reported 551 active cases Friday afternoon.
MU says another 444 have recovered from having the novel coronavirus. The 658 active infections affect 2.4 percent of the student body, the university reported.
Some students who say they're in quarantine because of a positive test or exposure to novel coronavirus have posted on social media platforms complaining about food delivery to quarantine rooms and other issues.
College-age people have powered a massive surge in COVID-19 cases in Boone County. The New York Times ranked Columbia No. 6 for "where the outbreak is worst now." The list compiles COVID-19 data for metro areas with the greatest number of new cases relative to population over the last two weeks.
Boone County set a record for daily cases Saturday at 221.
