WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Audrain County Health Department hosting Johnson and Johnson Vaccine events
The Audrain County Health Department will offer seven different chances to receive the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in what is being billed as a One-And-Done Clinic.
The vaccine will be available at one-hour clinics to be held at the ACHD offices at 1130 South Elmwood Drive in Mexico.
The clinics will be held on the following dates from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.:
- Thursday, June 17
- Monday, June 21st
- Wednesday, June 23rd
- Thursday, June 24th
- Monday, June 28th
- Wednesday, June 30th
- Wednesday, July 7th
“It is a great opportunity to get the vaccine as it is a single-dose vaccine,” stated ACHD Immunization Program Lead Brandi Meyer. “It eliminates the need to schedule a follow-up dose three or four weeks after the first dose is administered.”
Missouri DHSS monitoring Delta variant; urges continued vaccination
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is reporting a rise in individuals contracting the Delta coronavirus variant.
“Our greatest concern in Missouri is areas with lower vaccine uptake,” said Robert Knodell, Acting Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). “With this variant being easier to spread and possibly causing more severe illnesses among unvaccinated people of all ages, vaccinations are the best way to stop this virus in its tracks.”
Officials say this recent rise of the highly transmissible Delta variant underscores the importance of COVID-19 testing for symptomatic or asymptomatic patients.
The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday the Delta variant has been reclassified as a “variant of concern” in the United States.
The Delta variant joins the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Epsilon variants circulating in the United States which are already classified as variants of concern.
The Delta virus has been already detected in over 70 countries of the world and is projected to become dominant worldwide. It is also causing more serious illness and hospitalizations among those who have not been vaccinated.
Boone County active coronavirus cases increase for third day in a row
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting 11 new COVID-19 cases.
There are currently 60 active cases in the county.
The county now has a reported total number of COVID-19 cases of 18,655.
The county has reported the total number of cases removed from isolation is 18,478.
The health department's hospital status remains in yellow.
The health department is reporting three Boone County residents are in the hospital due to the coronavirus.
There are a total of 32 people hospitalized at a Boone County hospital due to the coronavirus.
The dashboard is showing seven COVID-19 patients in the ICU and one patients on a ventilator.
The State of Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard is reporting that 89,077 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 78,563 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 49.4%. The second closest in the state is St. Louis County with 47.4%.
Boone County is first in the state with a reported 43.5% of residents that have completed their coronavirus vaccine doses. St. Charles County is second in the state with 40.3% of residents have completed the doses for vaccination.
Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 39.7%. Montgomery County is third with 35.8%.
COVID-19 cases rise in Missouri areas popular among tourists
A swath of southern Missouri is seeing a big rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations at just the wrong time — as tourists eager to get out after being cooped up for a year make their way to popular destinations such as Branson and Lake of the Ozarks, the Associated Press reported.
Data from the state health department’s COVID-19 dashboard shows 206 people hospitalized with the virus in southwestern Missouri — nearly double the 111 hospitalizations on May 1. Health experts cite two factors driving the surge: The presence of the faster-spreading Delta variant, and a reluctance among residents to get vaccinated.
A few mid- and northern Missouri counties are also among those seeing an uptick in cases. Linn County has the greatest number of new cases over the past week per 100,000 people at 713. Miller County has the fifth-most cases per capita during that span and Chariton County has logged the seventh-most, according to state data.
More than 500 new COVID-19 cases in Missouri
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported 586 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the state's total to 517,027.
The state's positivity rate increased Wednesday now sitting at 5.9%. According to the states COVID-19 dashboard, Missouri has seen a 31% increase in cases over the last 7 days.
The state also added 271 probable antigen cases of the virus to the dashboard Wednesday, bringing the total to 90,695.
Two new deaths were added, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 9,224.
According to the state's vaccine dashboard, 43% of Missourians have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 36.7% have completed vaccination.
In total, 4,736,797 doses of the vaccine have been given out in Missouri.
