TUESDAY UPDATES: CoMoHelps report on pandemic relief, impact on local nonprofits

CoMoHelps released the second report on its work to provide funding for local nonprofits to meet ongoing pandemic-related needs.

CoMoHelps provided $1,544,254 to more than 40 local nonprofits and schools for COVID-19 relief assistance for food, rent, utilities, learning pods and more out of $3,496,107.03 received.

The report includes the results of two surveys of local nonprofits.

The results reveal an uncertain future for the nonprofit sector because service demand and expenses are expected to increase, while revenues are anticipated to decrease, resulting in significant budget shortfalls.

Based on its work to date and the results of the nonprofits surveys, the report includes the following initial recommendations:
Local governments should make significant investments in their social services programs and funding in order to:

• Provide support for the nonprofit sector.
• Ensure the availability of needed social services for long-term recovery.
• Build capacity within nonprofits to utilize innovative fundraising strategies, including online events or social media campaigns.
• Convene struggling nonprofits to identify opportunities for organizational mergers.

Cole County has new COVID-19 recommendations for residents

Cole County and the City of Jefferson has new recommendations for residents of the county.

• Stay home if you are sick.
• Practice excellent personal hygiene with an emphasis on handwashing.
• Physical distance from others outside of your household.
• If you must be in prolonged close contact with someone outside of your household, wear a face covering that fits properly over your nose and mouth.
• Encourage physical distancing within office buildings and allow telecommuting if possible.
• Host gatherings in a safe manner by following recommended guidance.
• Continue to offer and utilize low contact shopping methods, including curbside and delivery, and allow for distance between seating in restaurants.
• Get your COVID-19 vaccination as soon as your Phase/Tier is activated. Visit colehealth.org or covid.vaccine.mo.gov for more information.
• Stay up to date on the latest guidance at www.health.mo.gov.

"Thank you for your continued support, and please follow this advice for ways that we can move forward and do things safely. Spacing out is still important and avoiding close gatherings, along with the above guidance.” Mayor Carrie Tergin stated. “We appreciate the collaboration between our community, our health professionals and you."

Area rural hospitals eligible for CARES Act relief funds

Rural hospitals that suffered from business interruption due to COVID-19 are now eligible to receive reimbursement funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, Economic Security (CARES) Act.

$10 million has been allocated for this assistance. Funds reimbursed under this agreement are capped at $161,290 per hospital.

The 62 rural hospitals that provide services to rural and underserved populations are eligible to receive these funds if they can attest that business interruptions resulted in lost revenue between March 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021.

Rural hospitals impacted by COVID-19 will submit requests for reimbursement which must be approved by the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care within the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

Boone County coronavirus-related hospitalizations rise seven cases to 26

Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting 12 new COVID-19 cases. There are currently 87 active cases in the county.

The county now has a reported total number of COVID-19 cases of 17,706.

The county has reported the total number of cases removed from isolation is 17,536, an increase of 16 from Monday.

Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services dashboard has reported the latest five-day average as 14.

The dashboard is reporting the positivity rate of 10.2% for the week of Feb. 26 through March 4. The new positivity rate posted is 11% for the week of March 4 through last Thursday.

The county continues to trend down as there have been 48 straight days of single or double-digit case increases.

The health department is reporting the total number of hospitalizations in Boone County is 26, an increase of seven from Monday.

The number of Boone County residents hospitalized is reported to be five.

The dashboard is reporting seven COVID-19 patients in the ICU and five patients on ventilators.

The hospital status remains in 'Green' status. 'Green' status is when hospitals are operating within licensed bed capacity; accepting patient transfers from referring hospitals within standard care operating procedures.

The State of Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard is reporting that 42,189 residents have received their first dose in Boone County.

The county has the largest percentage of people in Mid-Missouri that have received at least one dose of the vaccine with 23.4%.

Saline County has the second largest with 22.5% of the population have received the first dose of the vaccine. Cole County has the third-highest percentage at 21.6%.

Callaway County Health Department puts out call for coronavirus shots

Callaway County's health department said Tuesday afternoon it is trying to find arms for 85 Pfizer coronavirus vaccine doses.

The health department posted on its Facebook page at about 2 p.m. saying it had the doses available on a first-come, first-served basis until they were gone. The post said the department is trying to get rid of the doses as soon as it can.

The shots are being given away at South Side Baptist Church in Fulton, the department says.

The state health department reports more than 1.8 million shots administered in Missouri. The department reports more than 12,000 doses administered in Callaway County, with 17.6% of county residents receiving at least a first dose.

Missouri reports 300+ new COVID-19 cases

Missouri health officials reported more than 300 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday morning.

The state health department's coronavirus dashboard said positive COVID-19 cases confirmed through PCR testing during the pandemic were up to 484,124. It's an increase of 376 from the day before.

Health officials said on the dashboard that probable coronavirus cases through antigen testing were reported at 83,289 since the pandemic started.

Missouri's seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate was reported at 4.5% for the second day in a row. The rate is calculated by dividing the number of positive PCR tests by the total number of PCR tests over the last week.

The state's pandemic death toll went up to 8,350 on Tuesday -- an increase of 40 from the day before. The department announced Monday night that 41 deaths would be added to the dashboard through its weekly check of death certificates.

It wasn't immediately clear when the other remaining death would be included on the dashboard.

Statewide coronavirus vaccinations increased in the department's latest data. As of Tuesday, 1.8 million total vaccine doses have been administered in the state, nearly 1.2 million Missourians have initiated vaccination and nearly 650,000 have completed vaccination.

The dashboard said nearly one in five state residents has started the vaccination process. It included that more than half of the state's population of residents 65-74 years old and those 85 and older have initiated vaccination. The residents have been vaccine-eligible for weeks under Phase 1B Tier 2 of the state vaccination plan.