WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Missouri’s COVID-19 public health dashboard updated for first time since Saturday
UPDATE 6:45 P.M.: The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has updated the dashboard for the first time since time after there was an issue in the reporting of COVID-19 cases, tests and deaths.
The error in how data was being exported in the database caused an inaccurate reporting of 5,020 new cases last Saturday.
The number actually reflected several days leading up to Oct. 10, not a one-day increase.
DHSS continues to encourage individuals to follow the past 7-day trends for all data sets. From Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 9,166 cases were reported, for an average of 1,309 per day. From Oct. 7-13, 9,908 cases were reported, for an average of 1,415 per day.
The updated number of total reported cases increased by the following each day:
- Oct. 10 +1,381
- Oct. 11 +1,235
- Oct. 12 +988
- Oct. 13 +1,338
“We are thankful that at this point, in an unprecedented fashion more than 2 million tests have been performed for a reportable infectious disease in Missouri,” said Dr. Randall Williams director of DHSS. “We remain committed to undergoing continuous quality improvement as we share the data from these tests as testing options and available technologies evolve.”
Moniteau County reporting 6th COVID-19 related death
UPDATE 5:45 P.M.: Moniteau County is reporting one new death, bringing the total in the county to 6.
There are 11 cases added to the total case list, bringing the total to 496.
The county health department is reporting 12 new recoveries and 78 active cases.
Moberly School District report four more students test positive, Jefferson City Schools extend virtual learning at middle schools
UPDATE 5:32 P.M.: Moberly School district is reporting four more students tested positive recently.
According to the release, three high school students and one middle school student tested positive.
24 student were identified as close contacts and will now begin to quarantine.
The district previously had two high school students test positive and 31 students needed to be quarantined.
Jefferson City Schools extend virtual learning at middle schools
The Jefferson City School District is extending distance learning for our 6th-8th grade students at Lewis & Clark Middle School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School for one additional week.
JC Schools originally decided to temporarily close the middle schools due to a staffing shortage.
After the district reassessed the situation, the district determined that an additional week in distance learning would serve to stop any spread of COVID-19 within the school environment.
Distance learning for middle school students began on Tuesday of this week.
Middle school activities will continue with normal operations and practice and game schedules.
Audrain County reporting two new COVID-19 related deaths
UPDATE 5:22 P.M.: Audrain County is reporting two new COVID-19 related deaths bringing the total to seven.
The county is reporting two new cases since yesterday bringing the total to 824 and active cases dropped to 135 from 136.
According to the health department there are 17 active cases in the county.
There are 117 offenders at WERDCC that have tested positive and considered active cases. The other active case reported is an employee from Tri County Care Center.
Boone County reports 6th highest number of new coronavirus cases
UPDATE 4:45 P.M.: Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reports 100 new COVID-19 cases, the sixth-highest number of new cases and first time hitting triple digits since Sept. 5.
Nearly a quarter (23) of the 100 new cases is in the 18-22 age group.
The health department is reporting a total of 5,399 total cases, with 395 active cases in the county.
The county is also reporting 4,991 recoveries. 43 of those recoveries were reported today.
The county is reporting 72 people are reported as hospitalized from the virus; 24 of those cases are Boone County citizens.
30 people currently hospitalized are in the ICU and 17 of those are on a ventilator.
According to the Boone County, MO COVID-19 Information Hub there are still no issues with hospitals.
Blair Oaks Middle School going virtual after fourth positive test of a 5th-grade student
UPDATE 4:05 P.M.: Blair Oaks Middle School is going virtual beginning Thursday after another student tests positive for novel coronavirus.
The latest positive test is the fourth 5th-grade student testing positive for COVID-19 in the last 5 days.
There are approximately 30 of the 75 total 5th grade students under quarantine.
In-person learning will resume for the students in the 5th grade on Monday, October 26.
This decision was made after consultation with the Cole County Health Department.
Columbia College hosting virtual commencement for 2020 graduates
UPDATE 3:20 P.M.: Columbia College will host a virtual graduation following the fall semester instead of the in-person ceremony that was scheduled for Dec. 19.
“Our 2020 graduates deserve to be recognized for their hard work and commitment to staying the course in the face of unimaginable obstacles,” said Columbia College President Scott Dalrymple. “The decision to hold our commencement celebrations virtually was very difficult, but is in line with local health guidelines and consistent with our continued focus on keeping the members of our campus community healthy. While it is not ideal, we will do everything we can to make the virtual experience as memorable as possible.”
Students who have registered for any of the college’s commencement ceremonies that have been canceled due to the pandemic between March December are eligible to participate in the virtual event.
Mid-Missouri positive COVID-19 test rate near 14 percent
UPDATE 2:35 P.M.: The COVID-19 positivity rate for Central Missouri hit nearly 14% over the most recent counting period.
The region reported a 13.8% rate for the week that ended Saturday, according to the Missouri Hospital Association's online dashboard. That compares to a statewide rate of about 12.1%.
The rate is a measurement of the number of people tested for COVID-19 who get a positive result. Health experts say rates higher than 10% indicate wide spread of the novel coronavirus.
Statewide, hospitals reported about 42% of their beds available, with nearly 31% of intensive care beds available and 24% of ventilators available. Those numbers were 35%, 33% and 23% in the central region, respectively.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has not reported updated COVID-19 numbers since Saturday, when the state logged more than 5,000 new cases. The department said Sunday that the total was artificially inflated by a database error.
The department said it is migrating its data to a new system, which is why new numbers have not been reported.
The agency said this week that it expected the state's online COVID-19 dashboard to be updated Wednesday, but that update has not occurred.
Missouri unemployment rate drops below 5 percent as many exhaust COVID-19 benefits
UPDATE 12:20 P.M.: Missouri's unemployment rate continued to drop in September as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on.
The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center said the unemployment rate last month dropped to 4.9% after being at 7% in August. The state added 13,000 jobs during September, according to the news release.
The national rate in September was 7.9%. Missouri's rate has been under the national rate for 67 months straight, the release says.
The drop in September is due in part to workers exhausting their unemployment benefits and leaving the labor market, the research center said. The state's labor force dropped by 2.3% in September.
The rate for September was about 50% higher than the September 2019 rate because of the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Much of Mid-Missouri remains in 'red zone' for COVID-19 cases
ORIGINAL: Jefferson City and several Mid-Missouri counties remain in the "red zone" for new coronavirus infections, according to the latest White House report.
The document, which looks at cases reported last week, says Missouri as a whole remains in the red zone, with 159 cases per 100,000 people. Missouri's case rate of 9,768 is the 15th highest in the country, according to the report.
The national average is 100 cases per 100,000 people.
The state is in the orange zone for positivity rate, coming in at 9%, according to the report. The rate is the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 last week who got a positive result.
The report says nearly 30% of new cases came form Jackson, Greene and St. Louis counties. However, many local counties are in the red zone for high rates of virus infection.
The report places Jefferson City, Moberly, Marshall and Mexico among the cities with high rates of new infections. Counties in the red zone include Cole, Camden, Callaway, Morgan, Randolph, Saline, Miller, Osage, Audrain and Maries.
Columbia and Boone County were not in the report's red zone. However, Boone County had the 11th most new cases overall last week, according to the report. Cole County is ranked ninth.
New cases were largely confined to more populous areas of the state this summer. However, over the last month rural areas have seen larger shares of new cases, according to the report.
Nearly half of all Missouri counties have high rates of virus transmission, according to the report.
The state is also in the red zone for deaths with a rate 63% higher than the one reported last week.
The report says efforts to slow the virus such as wearing masks should increase in Missouri to lower the level of coronavirus spread.
Boonville Board of Education to consider whether teachers should be essential workers
The Boonville Board of Education will have a special meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday to consider whether teachers and other school employees should be essential workers.
If the board approves the change, the district can have teachers who are exposed to the coronavirus shorten their quarantine periods while taking precautions such as wearing masks.
The board will also consider changing student quarantine guidelines, according to the meeting agenda. No details were provided with the agenda on how those guidelines will change.
