WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Boone County reports 31 residents hospitalized due to the coronavirus
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting a new coronavirus-related death. That brings the total number of deaths to 141. The individual was in the 60-64 age group and died on Aug. 25.
The county is reporting 75 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday.
There are currently 504 active cases in the county, an increase of 19 from Monday. The county now has a reported total number of 23,066 COVID-19 cases.
The county reported 22,421 cases removed from isolation, an increase of 55 from Tuesday.
Boone County ranks eighth in the state with the most coronavirus cases in total volume in the past week. Cases are down 3.6% on the week. The county has a 10.8% positive test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The health department's hospital status remains yellow, with 126 COVID-19 patients in Boone County hospitals and 31 of them being Boone County residents. Of those, 40 are in intensive care and 17 are on ventilators.
The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard is reporting that 101,275 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 89,960 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 56.1%. The second closest county in the state is St. Louis County with 55.2%.
Boone County is first in the state with a reported 49.8% of residents that have completed their coronavirus vaccine doses. St. Louis County is the second county in the state with 49% of residents have completed the doses for vaccination.
Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 48.4%. Montgomery County is third with 44%.
In Boone County, Columbia Public Schools and Southern Boone School District publish active coronavirus and quarantine cases to their websites.
At CPS, the district is reporting a 41.5 14-day rate per 10,000.
CPS reports 11 district facilities (three elementary schools, three middle schools and five other facilities) currently have staff out because of COVID-19. There are four staff at elementary, one staff at middle school and four at other districtwide facilities that have tested positive for the coronavirus. The district has five staff currently quarantined because of COVID.
Currently, there are 56 students (28 in elementary, 9 in middle school and 18 in High School) that tested positive for COVID-19. There are a total of 355 students, including 213 in elementary school, that are required to quarantine due to the coronavirus.
At the Southern Boone School District, there are one staff and four students that tested positive for coronavirus. Seven students are required to quarantine (five in elementary school) due to close contact.
Cole County reports 11 new coronavirus-related deaths
The Cole County Health Department reported 28 new coronavirus cases.
According to the dashboard update, there are 10,424 residential cases and 284 long-term care facility resident cases. That is 10,708 total cases in the county.
The county is reporting 11 new coronavirus-related deaths Wednesday, nine from the county and two in long-term care facilities. The health department is reporting 86 residents have died and 60 long-term care facility residents have died. Cole County has the highest number of coronavirus deaths in Mid-Missouri with 146.
Cole County Health Department Director Kristi Campbell said the 11 new deaths all occurred in August.
Cole County ranks 33rd in the state for counties with the most coronavirus cases per capita in the past week. Cases are down 19.8% on the week. The county has an 11.6% positive test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports about 48.4% of the county have initiated their first dose of the vaccine and 43.1% of the county's population have been fully vaccinated.
The Jefferson City School District reports eight active coronavirus cases in students and seven active cases in staff.
The district is reporting three close contacts for students and one close contact for staff.
Vaccinations decline as delta surge rolls on
The number of coronavirus vaccinations being administered daily is dropping in Missouri as the delta variant continues to spread.
Data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services show the seven-day average of daily shots administered fell to about 13,500 per day as of Saturday. The average has been steadily declining since mid-August when it was over 15,000. About 45% of Missourians are fully vaccinated.
Health experts say the vaccine is the most effective way to reduce new infections and hospitalizations, which are declining but remain at high rates. Intensive care admissions for COVID-19 remain at record levels in Missouri.
Missouri recorded 1,984 confirmed new coronavirus cases Wednesday for a total of 632,051 infections since the pandemic started. The daily average of new cases is 1,575, according to the state health department. The state reported 914 new probable cases through antigen testing. Missouri reported 12 new deaths for a total of 10,622.
All but two counties, both in northern Missouri, remained this week in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "red zone," indicating high levels of coronavirus transmission. Moniteau County is No. 12 in the state for most new cases per capita over the past week, according to the state.
