FRIDAY UPDATES: Boone County reports the highest number of coronavirus cases since April 30
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting 10 new COVID-19 cases.
There are currently 72 active cases in the county.
The county now has a reported total number of COVID-19 cases of 18,683.
The county has reported the total number of cases removed from isolation is 18,494.
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 35 people hospitalized at a Boone County hospital due to the coronavirus.
The dashboard is showing 10 COVID-19 patients in the ICU and one patients on a ventilator.
The State of Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard is reporting that 89,366 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 79,039 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 49.5%. The second closest in the state is St. Louis County with 48%.
Boone County is first in the state with a reported 43.8% of residents that have completed their coronavirus vaccine doses. St. Charles County is second in the state with 41.6% of residents have completed the doses for vaccination.
Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 39.8%. Montgomery County is third with 35.8%.
Delta variant blamed for southwest Missouri virus increase
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Health officials in the Springfield area say the faster-spreading Delta variant is the primary cause of an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the region.
Kendra Findley, a health investigator for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said the increasing cases and random testing of virus samples have confirmed the more infectious variant is spreading quickly in Greene County, and in much of southwest Missouri. Administrators at the two largest hospitals in the Springfield-Greene County region are urging people to get vaccinated.
In Greene County, 36% of the population has initiated vaccination. In most surrounding counties the figure is below 30%.
More than 600 new COVID-19 cases in Missouri
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported 679 new COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the state's total to 581,188. Over the past seven days Missouri has seen a 17% increase in cases.
The state also added 238 probable antigen cases of the virus to the state's COVID-19 dashboard Friday, bringing the total to 91,175.
Missouri's positivity rate increased slightly, now sitting at 6.2%.
One new death was also added, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 9,227.
According to the state's vaccine dashboard, 43.3% of Missourians have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 37.2% have completed vaccination.
In total, 4,775,854 doses of the vaccine have been given out in Missouri.
