FRIDAY UPDATES: Boone County positivity rate more than doubles from the previous week

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting 14 new COVID-19 cases.

There are currently 110 active cases in the county, an eight case increase from Thursday.

The county now has a reported total number of COVID-19 cases of 18,031.

The county has reported the total number of cases removed from isolation is 17,836.

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services dashboard has reported the latest five-day average as 20.

The dashboard is reporting the positivity rate for March 26 through April 1 is 7.7%. For the week of April 2 through last Thursday, the county has a positivity rate of 16.8%.

The county continues to trend down as there have been 71 straight days of single or double-digit case increases.

The health department is reporting the total number of hospitalizations in Boone County is 16.

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

The dashboard is reporting three COVID-19 patients in the ICU and no patients on a ventilator.

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 66,621 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 39,761 Boone County residents have completed their vaccine doses.

Boone county has the largest percentage of people in Mid-Missouri that have received at least one dose of the vaccine with 36.9%.

Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 29.6%. Saline County is third with 29.1%.

Gerbes joins pharmacies offering coronavirus vaccine

Gerbes is now taking appointments for coronavirus vaccine doses, joining several other independent and chain pharmacies across the state offering the shots.

Gerbes pharmacies in Columbia, Jefferson City, Eldon and Camdenton are offering appointments, according to a news release. The company is also giving a one-time $100 payment for employees who complete vaccination. Gerbes has both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Appointments can be made through the Gerbes website.

The map below shows pharmacies and other providers approved to offer coronavirus shots in Missouri.

Audrain County offers vaccine appointments; clinics set

The Audrain County Health Department is offering vaccines at its Mexico location and will host two coronavirus vaccination clinics next week with the Missouri National Guard.

The department said in a news release that it has started taking appointments for the Moderna vaccine after eligibility opened up to all Missourians who can take the vaccine. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is approved for people age 16 and over while the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines are approved for use in people age 18 and over.

The department said anyone wanting an appointment for the Moderna vaccine can call 573-591-3755 or visit the department's website.

The health department is also partnering with the Missouri National Guard to give out shots at the YMCA in Vandalia next Thursday and at the health department office next Friday. Events each day go from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Registration for the clinics next week is available through the state's vaccine website or by calling 877-435-8411.

About 23% of Audrain County residents have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, according to the state.

State coronavirus cases trending up

Missouri recorded 475 new coronavirus cases and another 314 probable cases in the past 24 hours.

The state has now reported 492,823 cases since the pandemic began more than a year ago and another 89,856 positive antigen tests, which are considered probable cases. The Department of Health and Senior Services reported no new deaths Friday and the total since the start of the pandemic stands at 8,510.

Like many states, Missouri is on an upward trend in coronvirus cases, with an increase of 1.5% over the past seven days, according to the state's coronavirus dashboard. The state positivity rate -- the percentage of tests in the past week with a positive result -- rose slightly Friday to 4.7%.

Meanwhile, testing has fallen 6.7% over the past week.

The share of Missouri's population receiving at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine reached 29.8% on Friday, up from 29.3% the day before. The state reports 19.1% of the population has completed vaccination.

The most-vaccinated people in the state are those 65 and older. In that age group, more than 50% of people have completed their vaccinations. Boone County continues to lead the state in the percentage of the population starting vaccination at 36.9%.

The increase in state coronavirus numbers comes as health experts are warning Americans to continue taking precautions against coronavirus and the emergence of new virus variants. The more contagious U.K. variant of the virus has now been found in Boone County and the South African variant has been identified in the Kansas City area.

MU Health Care opens thousands of vaccine appointments

MU Health Care said Friday it has opened nearly 7,000 coronavirus vaccine appointments, the same day eligibility opened to any Missouri resident old enough to get the shot.

The appointments are part of a three-day clinic that starts Thursday in collaboration with the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services. MU Health has set up a website to sign up for the appointments. Anyone younger than 18 will need signed parental consent.

MU Health said in a news release that it originally received 4,000 doses for the clinic but the state later allocated extra doses. The clinic will take place at Faurot Field in the Walsworth Family Columns Club.