WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Missouri Department of Corrections reports more offenders’ death related to COVID-19
Missouri Department of Corrections COVID-19 dashboard is reporting nine more offenders have died due to the coronavirus since Nov. 25.
According to the dashboard, there have been 36 offenders' deaths and four staff that have died from COVID-19.
Currently there are active cases in the following facilities:
- ACC Jefferson City (1 offender)
- BCC Boonville (6 staff, 1 offender)
- CTCC Fulton (1 staff)
- FRDC Fulton (10 staff, 190 offenders)
- JCCC Jefferson City (10 staff, 12 offenders)
- MCC Moberly (13 staff, 11 offenders)
- WERDCC Vandalia (7 staff, 9 offenders)
Across the state, there are currently 500 active inmate cases and 147 staff cases.
FRDC Fulton currently has the most active cases in the Missouri Department of Corrections with 190 cases.
The WERDCC Vandalia facility has the second most overall number of coronavirus cases with 468, just behind FCC Farmington that has had 525 cases.
Three counties report multiple COVID-19 related deaths
Three mid-Missouri counties are each reporting multiple deaths as cases increase across the state.
In Pettis County, the health center is reporting two deaths, brinigng the total number of deaths to 34.
The county has reported 3,381 total cases during the pandemic and currently has 766 active cases. They currently have the most active cases in mid-Missouri, 34 ahead of Boone County.
There are currently 30 residents hospitalized due to the coronavirus.
In Morgan County, the health center reported three new deaths raising their total to 23.
The county has 162 active cases with 1,172 total cases since March.
In Cooper County's weekly update, the health center is reporting two more deaths raising the total number of deaths in the county to 8.
The health center is reporting an increase of total cases 81 to a total of 1,298.
There are currently 80 active cases in the county, a decrease from 124 reported on Nov. 25.
Boone County reports 151 new COVID-19 cases; active cases rise to 732
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reports 151 new active cases, nearly double Tuesday cases. That brings the total number of cases to 10,485.
Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services Dec. 2 dashboard is reporting 732 active cases, an increase of 29 from Tuesday.
The county has reported an additional 121 new cases removed from isolation today bringing the total cases to 9,724.
Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services dashboard has reported a two case decrease to 98 five-day average. This average is the lowest since Nov. 4 when the average was reported as 91.
The positivity rate currently sits at 27.5% a drop from Nov. 13 to Nov. 19 rate of 28.4%.
The health department is reporting the total hospitalizations in Boone County to be 157.
The number of Boone County residents hospitalized has dropped from 34 to 24.
Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services Dec. 2 dashboard currently reports there is a three case increase to 46 COVID-19 patients in the ICU.
The department reports 20 patients on ventilators, a six patient increase.
The hospital status is still currently in the 'yellow' zone.
Audrain County reports two coronavirus deaths today, third this week
Audrain County Health Department is reporting two new COVID-19 related deaths.
According to the health department, this is the 15th and 16th coronavirus deaths in the county. This is the third coronavirus death this week. One person died on Tuesday.
The county has reported 19 cases added to the overall total making the county cross the thousand case mark with 1,011 COVID-19 cases.
The county has 137 active coronavirus cases currently for the second day in a row. The city of Mexico has 106 (77.3%) of the cases in the county.
The county is also reporting 45 of the cases are from long term care facilities.
The health department is reporting 17 recoveries bringing the total to 858 overall.
There are currently 10 Audrain County residents hospitalized from the coronavirus.
Boone County reports third coronavirus death this week
Local health officials said Wednesday that a 29th Boone County resident with COVID-19 has died.
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services said on its social media accounts that the person who died was between the ages of 75 and 79. This is the third COVID-19-related death Boone County officials have reported this week.
The county has recorded 17 of its 29 COVID-19 deaths since mid-October.
The health department reported 703 active coronavirus cases countywide on Tuesday. The county's hospitals were treating 157 patients with COVID-19, with 43 of them in intensive care.
Boone County, like other areas of Mid-Missouri, has experienced a surge of new coronavirus cases this fall and is in the White House coronavirus task force's "red zone" for its high level of new infections. New cases were in the double digits for the second day Tuesday. However, new case numbers have been in the triple digits most days during November.
Nearly all of Mid-Missouri remains in COVID-19 'red zone'
Several cities and all but one county in Mid-Missouri are in the White House's "red zone" for coronavirus infection rates.
The report obtained by ABC News and dated Sunday says Missouri has the 22nd-highest case rate per 100,000 people in the nation at 468. The national average is 349 cases per 100,000 people.
The weekly report says that without health orders that require actions such as mask wearing and social distancing, "spread will remain unyielding with significant impact on the healthcare system."
Local and state health experts have repeatedly sounded warnings about the record fall case surge and its strain on hospital capacity. The Missouri Hospital Association reported Wednesday that 20% of intensive care capacity remains statewide.
The strain has been seen in Mid-Missouri, too. Columbia, Jefferson City, Mexico and Moberly are all in the White House coronavirus task force's red zone. Each Mid-Missouri county except Chariton is also in the red zone.
The report says all Missouri counties have moderate to high levels of coronavirus transmission. The wide spread of the virus has also led to increased death -- of Boone County's 28 deaths, 16 have been reported since the start of October.
Gov. Parson to announce assistance expanding hospital capacity
A release from Gov. Mike Parson's office said state leaders will announce assistance for state hospitals to expand capacity.
Officials said a news conference will be held at 5 p.m. at the state capitol. ABC 17 will live stream the announcement when it starts.
Recently, Missouri has seen hospital bed capacity shrink as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to increase.
Last month, the state set and broke hospitalization records multiple times.
Parson has said during recent state briefings Missouri is experiencing a shortage in health care providers as the pandemic continues.
Early on in the pandemic state leaders looked at the possibility of opening field hospitals to address the coronavirus.
It's unclear what assistance the governor will announce.
Saline County reports 2 more COVID-19 deaths
The Saline County Health Department reported two more COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday.
A Facebook post from the department said 32 residents have died from the virus since the pandemic started. Officials say an 83-year-old woman and a man at the same age died from the virus.
Health officials also reported 16 new positive cases bringing the total to 1,784 since the pandemic started.
County health officials in Boone County and Cole County have reported new COVID-19 deaths this week.
Health officials report dozens of new COVID-19 deaths
Missouri state health officials reported more than three dozen new COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday.
The state health department's coronavirus dashboard said 4,043 COVID-19 deaths have been reported since the pandemic started in March. It's an increase of at least 37 over the last day.
Wednesday's increase marks the second day in a row for more than 30 new deaths.
The dashboard said Missouri reported 2,679 new coronavirus cases bringing the pandemic total to 305,370.
Missouri's seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate fell slightly over the last 24 hours to 20.3%, a decrease of 0.2%, the dashboard said.
State hospital officials said 2,651 were hospitalized because of COVID-19 on Sunday, the last day data was available. It's the highest amount of hospitalizations since Nov. 26, but 200 fewer than the record high set on Nov. 18.
The data included 670 were admitted to ICU beds on Sunday. The dashboard said 20% of the state's ICU beds were still available.
