WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Boone County active coronavirus cases top 450
The number of active coronavirus infections in Boone County grew by 31 to reach 458 on Wednesday, despite a smaller number of new daily cases.
The Columbia/Boone County Health Department reported 69 new cases Wednesday for a total of 19,686, dropping below the triple digits for the first time in three days. The 69 recorded Wednesday is still the fourth-highest number of new daily cases reported since at least early April.
The average of new daily cases ticked up to 36.2 on Wednesday, remaining at levels not seen since early February as Missouri experiences a summer coronavirus surge. The number of COVID-19 patients in Boone County hospitals rose to 92 on Wednesday, with 31 of them in intensive care. Only 21 of them are Boone County residents, as neighboring counties with poor vaccination rates continue to experience higher levels of new infections per capita.
Boone County's hospitals remained in yellow status Wednesday, meaning they're delaying some transfers and non-emergency procedures.
About 51% of the county's residents have started vaccination and about 46% have completed the regimen, according to state data.
The county health department also warned about increasing numbers of unvaccinated people who had the virus before being infected again. The department said 125 residents who previously had COVID-19 but have not been vaccinated have been reinfected, with the first one recorded late last year.
"This suggests that natural immunity may not be enough protection so getting the COVID-19 vaccine is still important," the department wrote in a social media post.
Cole County logs more than 50 new coronavirus infections
Cole County reported 52 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, continuing a jump in the number of new infections reported daily.
The county reported 47 new cases on Tuesday and 96 over three days last week. The virus has killed 126 Cole County residents -- 56 of them in nursing homes.
The Cole County Health Department on Wednesday reported 8,344 cases outside nursing homes since the pandemic started last year and another 270 inside nursing homes. The number is hundreds fewer than the 9,333 reported by the state.
The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 150 new cases in Cole County over the past seven days -- a jump of nearly 49% over the previous seven. The county's positive test rest was nearly 17% over the past seven days. Cole County is No. 20 in the state for the most new cases per capita.
The health department has recorded 205 new cases so far this month, including 41 people who were fully vaccinated. That's nearly as many as the 207 recorded in June. The county logged just 88 in May.
MU School of Medicine to research how long vaccines protect against COVID-19
Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine are starting to enroll participants for a new study on coronavirus vaccines.
According to a news release from MU Health Care, the research will focus on how long vaccines protect against COVID-19 and how vaccination immunity differs from immunity through natural infection.
Dr. Mark Daniels, an associate professor of surgery and molecular microbiology and immunology, is leading the study. Daniels plans to analyze the presence of COVID-19 antibodies in participants' blood.
"Given the recent outbreaks of mutant strains of virus across the world, we expect these findings will help determine the most effective vaccine to deploy as we continue to fight this pandemic," Daniels said.
The research team hopes to enroll 500 participants who are either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or are planning to get the vaccine in the near future.
If you are interested in participating, you can email mucovid19vaccinestudy@missouri.edu.
Hospitalizations continue to climb in Missouri
Most COVID-19 metrics in the Show-Me State are going up, including hospitalizations, deaths, the seven-day positivity rate, the proportion of the delta variant, and more.
According to the state health dashboard, 1,284 Missourians were in hospitals across the state on Sunday, 390 of whom were in the ICU. This is the latest confirmed data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, and initial data in the days following show the number of patients likely grew further.
On Wednesday, 1,460 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were added to the dashboard, bringing the pandemic total to 537,887.
Fifteen additional deaths were recorded. In total, 9,455 Missourian lives have been lost due to COVID-19.
The seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate also increased Wednesday morning to 12.4%.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also updated its data on variants in the country, and the proportion of the delta variant is inching upwards in Missouri.
According to the data released Tuesday, the delta variant accounts for 74.6% of new cases in Missouri, up from 73.3% last week. Missouri remains No. 1 in the nation for its proportion of the delta variant. The second-highest state is Nevada, in which 44.1% of new cases are believed to be the delta variant.
