FRIDAY UPDATES: JC Schools reporting four new cases in district
UPDATE 6:23 P.M.: The Jefferson City School district is reporting four new cases within the district.
Three staff tested positive at Jefferson City High School. One staff member tested positive at Lawson Elementary.
It has been three days since the district last sent out an update.
The district now has 15 total cases. There have been five student cases and 10 staff cases.
Two cases are no longer considered active quarantining.
Boone County COVID-19 new cases drop for 6th straight day
UPDATE 4:30 P.M.:
Boone County saw its 6th straight day of new novel coronavirus cases below 100.
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reported 50 new cases Friday. The total is now 3,730 since the pandemic started.
Active cases in the county dropped 100 to 863 cases. There are still 1,416 in quarantine due to COVID-19.
Over 60 percent (31 new cases) of the new cases are between the ages of 18-22. Local officials say this group has been powering many of the Boone County cases.
The number of people in Boone County hospitals being treated for COVID-19 rose to 53 today, the highest number of the pandemic. The health department reported 18 of those patients are in intensive care and four are on ventilators.
The five-day average of new daily cases in Boone County continues to drop since its peak last Saturday. The number is 66.4, according to the department's online COVID-19 dashboard. Its peak was 143.4 Saturday, when the county recorded a record 221 new cases.
State of Missouri nearing 100,000 total COVID-19 cases since pandemic began
UPDATE 2:35 P.M.:
The State of Missouri adds more than 1,500 new cases to their COVID-19 totals.
Numbers released by the state show 1,569 total new cases. The postivity rate continues to fall and drops to 12.4 percent. The rate is watched by health officials as a way to determine how much the novel coronavirus is spreading.
Health officials say rates of 10 percent or more are a cause for concern.
The state is nearing the 100,000 case threshold with a total of 99,160 cases since the pandemic started.
Missouri's Department of Health and Human Services reported 10 new deaths for a total of 1,701.
Hospitalizations dropped by 6 to reach 926 as of Tuesday, the most recent data available. The record is 1,009 on Aug. 25.
Central region hospitals had 38 percent of their beds free during that period and 39 percent of their intensive care beds, according to the association's report.
University of Missouri gives update on COVID-19 cases on campus
UPDATE 1:30 P.M.: The University of Missouri is reporting a third straight day of active coronavirus cases dropping on campus.
Officials on campus say active cases have dropped by 96 or 14-percent over the past three days.
University of Missouri Media Relations Director Christian Basi says, "We’re continuing to watch the numbers closely, and hoping for the best."
According to Basi, there were 394 students that have had disciplinary referrals for not following COVID-19 rules.
The university's update also reports there are 9 new cases today.
The university reports there are a total of 562 active cases on campus reflecting just 2.1 percent of the student population. 632 students have recovered from COVID-19.
Boone County Health Department not updating COVID-19 positivity rate for second week in row
UPDATE 10:50 A.M.: The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services says the department will not update the county's COVID-19 positivity rate for the second week in a row because of the lab having issues sending results electronically according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
In its Facebook post, the Boone County department says all positive results have been reported but the issue is the electronic transmission of negative results to the state.
The negative data is what is used to figure out the positivity rate calculation. The rate is a measure of the percentage of people tested for coronavirus in a given time frame who test positive.
The last positivity rate reported by the Boone County department was 44.6 percent for the week that ended Aug. 27. That rate was up from 10.6 percent the previous week.
Health officials say rates below 10 percent are ideal.
Boone County has seen a large surge in cases over the past several weeks, which health officials say is powered in part by cases in the 18-22 age group. The county set a record with 221 new cases Saturday but is now on a streak of five days of new cases below 100.
Versailles and Hallsville football game canceled because of 'COVID-19 concerns'
ORIGINAL 9:25 A.M.: A Facebook post sent out from the Versailles football team said Friday night's game with Hallsville was canceled because "COVID-19 concerns."
The post included a Monday's JV football game against Hallsville was also canceled.
A letter sent to district parents this week from Versailles Superintendent Chris Marshall said multiple students and staff members tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.
Marshall said in the release the school district had nine active COVID-19 cases among students as of Tuesday.
Multiple students and staff members were placed on quarantine after they were determined to be close contacts of positive cases, the letter said.
Blair Oaks adds COVID-19 case
The Blair Oaks R-II School District confirmed a middle school student tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
A letter sent to parents from the school district said the district learned about a 7th-grade student testing positive at 9:02 a.m. It added the student was not in school this week.
