FRIDAY UPDATES: Boone County reports third COVID-19 related death this week; 61st since March
Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting one new coronavirus related death.
Officials say the individual was in the 80+ age group. That makes the third death this week and the 61st since March 18.
The health department is reporting 123 new COVID-19 cases for Friday, a 24 case decrease from Thursday.
The dashboard is currently reporting 874 active cases, an increase of five cases from Thursday.
The county now has a reported total number of COVID-19 cases of 14,736.
The county has reported the total number of cases removed from isolation is 13,801, an increase of 117 from Thursday.
Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services dashboard has reported the latest five-day average as 127.
The dashboard is reporting the positivity rate of 37.7% for Dec. 25 through last Thursday. This rate is the highest recorded rate. The county's new rate for last Friday to Thursday is 35.
The health department is reporting the total hospitalizations in Boone County remains at 108 cases for the past three days.
The number of Boone County residents hospitalized is reported to be 32, a three case increase.
The dashboard is reporting 23 COVID-19 patients in the ICU and 12 patients on ventilators.
The hospital status is still currently in the 'yellow' zone.
Health leaders thankful flu in check during COVID-19 crisis
ST. LOUIS (AP)
As coronavirus cases surge in Missouri and nationwide, public health officials are thankful that so far, the flu has remained largely in check.
Health leaders worried about a possible "twindemic" as the severe flu season began in the late fall, something that would leave flu and COVID-19 patients competing for ventilators and hospital beds.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Missouri's influenza report shows 681 people had tested positive for influenza by Dec. 26, the lowest total by that time of year in at least six seasons. Typically, case numbers by the end of December have averaged near 13,000.
Columbia/Boone County health department continues work on vaccination plan
Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services officials say a coronavirus vaccination plan is still being worked on.
A tweet from the health department said while vaccine supplies are low currently, officials are committed to administering them.
Health department officials launched a new webpage with vaccine information. Residents can also sign up on the website to receive updates on vaccine availability.
Subsequent tweets said the state continues to work through Missouri's initial phase of the vaccination plan. The phase includes health care workers, nursing home residents and nursing home staff.
State leaders said on Wednesday they are hopeful to finish the first phase of the plan by the end of the month. The second phase which includes vaccinations for high-risk individuals, first responders and essential workers will start as the first is wrapping up.
Gov. Mike Parson tweeted Thursday morning that 113,300 doses of the two available coronavirus vaccines have been administered so far.
Health department reports more than 4,000 new COVID-19 cases
The state health department reported more than 4,000 new COVID-19 cases in Missouri on Friday morning.
Friday's daily case increase marked the largest one this week at 4,332. It brought Missouri's pandemic total up to 416,758.
Case increases have steadily gone up since Monday starting out at 1,196 falling below the seven-day average at that time -- to Friday's report coming in almost 2,000 above the seven-day average of 2,598.
The increase on Friday is the second-highest in 2021 after 4,729 were reported on New Year's Day.
Thirty more virus-related deaths were also reported on Friday bringing the state's pandemic total up to 5,912.
The seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate was reported at 19.8%. The health department originally reported on Thursday the new positivity rate was up to 20.5% -- it has since been revised down to 19.7%. Health department data says the rate has increased every day since Dec. 23.
Coronavirus-related hospitalizations have increased higher to 2,841 in the latest data available from Tuesday. It's an increase of 10 from the number reported on Thursday. It also marks the third-highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations since the pandemic started.
State hospital officials said 634 were in the ICU because of COVID-19.
