FRIDAY UPDATES: Boone County adds 54 new coronavirus cases
EDITOR'S NOTE: The number of new daily cases in Boone County has been corrected.
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting 54 new COVID-19 cases for Thursday.
There are currently 570 active cases in the county, an increase of 33 from Thursday. The county now has a reported total number of COVID-19 cases of 22,803.
The county reported 22,096 cases removed from isolation, an increase of 21 from Thursday.
Boone County ranks ninth in the state with the most coronavirus cases in total volume in the past week. Cases are down 16.5% on the week. The county has a 10.1% positive test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The health department is reporting that from Aug. 2 to Aug. 8, 516 Boone County residents tested positive for COVID-19. The county is reporting that 107 of those cases were considered breakthrough cases.
The health department's hospital status remains yellow, with 120 COVID-19 patients in Boone County hospitals and 22 of them being Boone County residents. Of those, 36 are in intensive care and 13 are on ventilators.
The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard is reporting that 100,769 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 89,199 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 55.8%. The second closest county in the state is St. Louis County with 54.8%.
Boone County is first in the state with a reported 49.4% of residents that have completed their coronavirus vaccine doses. St. Louis County is the second county in the state with 48.6% of residents have completed the doses for vaccination.
Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 48.1%. Montgomery County is third with 43.5%.
Cole County reports 42 breakthrough coronavirus cases in the past seven days
The Cole County Health Department reported 15 new coronavirus cases.
According to the dashboard update, there are 10,299 residential cases and a total of 283 cases for long-term care facility residents. That brings a total of 10,582 total cases in the county.
The county has reported 155 total coronavirus cases this week, with 42 of them being breakthrough cases.
The county is currently reporting 135 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic started, which is the most in Mid-Missouri.
Cole County ranks 30th in the state for counties with the most coronavirus cases per capita in the past week. Cases are down 29.6% on the week. The county has an 11.8% positive test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports about 42.5% of the county's population have been fully vaccinated.
Gov. Parson ends existing state of emergency executive order; signs new order focused on health care system
Gov. Mike Parson has terminated the current state of emergency that has been in effect since March 13, 2020.
"In the nearly 18 months we operated under this executive order, we have responded to the COVID-19 crisis by providing unprecedented levels of resources and support," Governor Parson said. "This Order enabled us to respond to the unknown and everchanging needs of our state. Now, we know how to fight this virus and have a solution to ending the pandemic with the vaccine. Today, we are terminating this order as our situation no longer demands an expansive emergency declaration."
The governor has now issued executive order 21-09, which acknowledges the continued needs of Missouri's health care system caused by the coronavirus.
"We have always taken a balanced approach in our response to COVID-19, and this new order demonstrates the progress we have made in fighting this virus," Gov. Parson said. "Like all Missourians, we want this crisis to end and to close this chapter. However, while we are shifting our operations, we must maintain flexibility to aid our health care system and adapt to the challenges we face."
The new executive order helps activate the Missouri National Guard, keeps in place provisions related to remote notary services and telehealth and it allows state agencies to request a waiver of certain statutory and regulatory requirements that would otherwise hinder the state's response to ongoing COVID-19 challenges.
The new order and as part of the transition process from the previous order, the state has significantly scaled back the number of waivers in effect. More than 600 statutory and regulatory waivers were in place but only 163 waivers were found to be necessary to support the health care system, provide regulatory flexibility, and ensure the state remains federally compliant.
"We are returning to normal, but we must continue providing needed resources and support while more Missourians choose COVID-19 vaccination and are protected from serious illness," Gov. Parson continued.
The latest executive order will terminate on December 31, 2021.
The Missouri Hospital Association issued the following statement on the new executive order.
“The Missouri Hospital Association and its members deeply appreciate Gov. Parson’s decision to extend the state’s emergency declaration and health care-related regulatory waivers. The COVID-19 pandemic has created numerous challenges for hospitals and the state’s health care system, and the regulatory flexibilities granted to date have allowed health care providers to respond quickly and efficiently. By extending the declaration and waivers, the governor is granting the health care community the necessary tools to manage the Delta variant surge and future pandemic-related threats.”
Herb B. Kuhn, president and CEO
Missouri tops 2k confirmed coronavirus cases for second straight day
Missouri reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases for the second straight day after spending several days under that threshhold.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported 2,158 new confirmed coronavirus cases statewide Friday, with another 586 probable cases identified through antigen testing. Missouri has reported 624,239 confirmed and 125,941 probable cases since the pandemic began.
The department reported 26 new deaths Friday for a total of 10,435.
The new daily cases reported Friday were well above the state-reported daily average for the last seven days of 1,677. New cases have dropped 13% over the last week, though cases reported in the last three days are not included in the calculation.
Southeast Missouri's Scott County, where the state issued a hot spot advisory this week, leads Missouri counties in new cases per capita over the last seven days. Callaway County is the only Mid-Missouri county in the top 20, coming in at No. 19.
The number of Missourians in intensive care for COVID-19 remains at the highest levels of the pandemic, though the number appears to have stabilized to a seven-day average in the 680s. ICU capacity has dropped slightly to 14% statewide. The central region of the state has 27% ICU capacity remaining.
Health experts say the best way to combat the current coronavirus wave powered by the delta variant is vaccination. However, the state's vaccination rate continues to lag at just 44.6%. New vaccinations have declined this week despite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration giving full approval to the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine to begin the week.
Boone County is among the state leaders in vaccination rate at 49.4%.
