FRIDAY UPDATES: New hospitalizations in St. Louis match January levels
ST. LOUIS (AP)
New COVID-19 hospital admissions in St. Louis are approaching winter surge levels and southeast Missouri hospitals are under strain due to a surge in coronavirus cases and a rise in deaths.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force says hospitals in the city on Thursday reported admitting 100 new patients with COVID-19, the most since Jan. 16.
A total of 585 people were hospitalized, including 25 children.
Meanwhile, hospital data shows the number of COVID-19 patients being treated at Southeast Hospital and Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau has increased by more than 50% in the last week and a half.
Boone County reports two more coronavirus deaths; fourth death reported this week
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting two more coronavirus-related deaths. That brings the total number of deaths to 133. Both individuals were in the 60-65 age group and died Aug. 13 and Aug. 16. Cole County has the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths with 135.
The county is also reporting 79 new COVID-19 cases Friday.
There are currently 617 active cases in the county, a decrease of four from Thursday. The county now has a reported total number of COVID-19 cases of 22,440.
The county reported 21,690 cases removed from isolation, an increase of 81 from Thursday.
Boone County ranks eighth in the state with the most coronavirus cases in total volume in the past week. Cases are down 15.1% on the week. The county has a 10.3% positive test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The positivity rate is up for the previous week of August 13 through Thursday to 28.7.
The health department's hospital status remains yellow, with 117 COVID-19 patients in Boone County hospitals and 16 of them being Boone County residents. Of those, 36 are in intensive care and 15 are on ventilators.
The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard is reporting that 99,617 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 87,791 Boone County residents have completed their vaccine doses. Boone County has the largest percentage of county residents in Mid-Missouri that have received at least one dose of the vaccine with 55.3%. The second closest county in the state is St. Louis County with 54.3%.
Boone County is first in the state with a reported 48.6% of residents that have completed their coronavirus vaccine doses. St. Louis County is the second county in the state with 47.9% of residents have completed the doses for vaccination.
Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 47.5%. Montgomery County is third with 42.8%.
Cole County reported 235 coronavirus cases this week
The Cole County Health Department reported 19 new coronavirus cases Friday. This brings the weekly total to 235 cases; not all of the cases occurred this week.
According to the dashboard update, there are 10,129 residential cases and a total of 282 cases for long-term care facility residents. That brings a total of 10,411 total cases in the county.
The county is currently reporting 135 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic started, which is the most in Mid-Missouri.
Cole County ranks 17th in the state for counties with the most coronavirus cases per capita in the past week. Cases are down 6.3% on the week. The county has a 14.9% positive test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports about 41.4% of the county's population have been fully vaccinated.
Two deaths in vaccinated Boone County residents a tiny fraction of inoculated population
The two coronavirus deaths in vaccinated Boone County residents represent just a sliver of the population that has received a full round of shots, public health officials said Friday.
Those deaths account for just 0.0023% of the vaccinated population, the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services said in a social media post. The department said 0.021% of the vaccinated have been hospitalized with COVID-19.
A spokeswoman said the health department will not release whether the patients who died had underlying conditions, saying the information could be used to identify them given the small number of people in question.
A total of 131 Boone County residents have died because of the coronavirus, according to the local health department. Close to 88,000 Boone County residents -- or 55.3% of the county -- have been fully vaccinated, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The local health department said 487 people tested positive for coronavirus between July 26 and Aug. 1, and 382 of those people were not fully vaccinated or the department could not verify their vaccination status. The department said less than 1% of vaccinated Boone County have tested positive for the virus.
Missouri logs another day of 2,000+ confirmed coronavirus cases
EDITOR'S NOTE: The number of deaths reported Friday has been corrected.
Missouri reported 2,096 new confirmed coronavirus cases Friday, about 200 cases more than the average over the past seven days.
The state reported another 1,000 probable cases through antigen testing. The state has now logged 611,572 confirmed cases and 122,187 probable cases since the pandemic began. Deaths increased by 17 to reach 10,185.
The state also reported a seven-day average of more than 681 patients with COVID-19 in hospital intensive care units. The number has surpassed the peaks of last winter and continues to trend upward. Health leaders say the load is taxing hospital resources around the state. Boone County's hospitals are treating 127 patients with COVID-19 and have pulled back on some transfers and procedures.
Missouri's vaccination rate remains behind much of the nation at just 43.7%. The national average is 51.3%, according to the Mayo Clinic. Health experts say the lack of vaccination is helping drive new cases and hospitalizations in Missouri and other states where vaccination remains low and transmission remains high.
Several Mid-Missouri counties remain among the top in the state for new infections over the past seven days. Moniteau, Cole and Callaway County are in the top 20 for most cases per capita over that time. Pettis County is No. 21 and Miller County is No. 23.
The positivity rate for Missouri is currently at 14%.
MU Health establishes central coronavirus vaccination site
MU Health Care has established a central site to give coronavirus vaccinations.
The organization says demand for first-dose shots has increased by 200% over the past five weeks. Demand for shots has also increased because of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that people with weakened immune systems get a third shot.
The site, at the east entrance of Women's and Children's Hospital at 404 N. Keene St., will open Tuesday. The site will offer the two-dose Pfizer shot to anyone 12 and older and the single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine to anyone 18 and older.
Coronavirus cases are surging in Mid-Missouri, putting increased demand on hospitals. MU Health Care hospitals had 71 coronavirus patients and another 15 probable cases, the organization reported Friday morning. Health care experts say increasing vaccination is key to reducing the load on hospitals.
Just 48.6% of Boone County residents and 43.7% of Missourians have completed vaccination.
Appointments can be made online or by calling 573-771-2273.
