TUESDAY UPDATES: Red Zone report shows all Missouri counties have reported high community transmission rate

The newest State Profile Report shows Missouri remains at the high transmission level of COVID-19. The report shows new cases are up by 53% compared to last week with 323 cases per 100,000 people.

The report shows Missouri had 19,808 new cases of COVID-19 for the week of Dec. 10.

The report also indicates 110 residents died from the coronavirus, a 7% decrease from the previous week.

All Missouri counties are considered high community transmission.

Over 72.2% of Missouri residents 18 years and old have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 62.3% are considered fully vaccinated.

According to the report, over 99% of coronavirus cases were identified as the delta variant.

According to the report, 31 hospitals are dealing with staffing shortages, which account for 26% of hospitals in the state. Seven hospitals are currently dealing with supply shortages or seven percent of all hospitals.

Vaccine rates are going up with 36,000 people 12 and older initiated vaccination last week, which is 11% higher than the last report. 1,536 people 12-17 initiated vaccines last week, which is 6.2% lower than the last report.

Boone County active coronavirus cases back above 500; 97 coronavirus patients hospitalized

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reported 89 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday.

There are currently 507 active cases in the county and 27,528 cases since the pandemic began. The county reported 26,839 cases removed from isolation.

Boone County ranks 12th in the state with the most coronavirus cases in total volume in the past week. Cases are down 15.6% when comparing last week to the prior week. The county has an 8.6% positivity test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

The health department's hospital status is yellow with 97 COVID-19 patients in Boone County hospitals and 23 of them being Boone County residents. Of the 97 patients, 34 are in intensive care and 20 are on ventilators.

The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports that 112,408 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 99,060 Boone County residents have completed their vaccine doses.

Boone County has the third-largest percentage of county residents in Missouri that have received at least one dose of the vaccine with 62.3%. The largest county in the state is St. Louis County with 65.9%.

Boone County is third in the state with a reported 54.9% of residents that have completed their coronavirus vaccine doses. St. Louis County is the first county in the state with 58.2% of residents have completed the doses for vaccination. The city of Joplin has 59.7% of the population fully vaccinated.

Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 53.1%. Callaway County is third with 49%.

The Columbia Public Schools reports active coronavirus and quarantine cases to their website daily.

The district reported a 48.5 14-day rate per 10,000 for Tuesday.

CPS reports 12 district facilities (six elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools and three other district-wide facilities) currently have staff out because of COVID-19. The district is reporting six staff members at an elementary school, one staff member at a high school and three staff members at district-wide facilities have tested positive for COVID-19. Three staff members at elementary schools, one staff member at a middle school and two staff members at a district-wide faclity have to quarantine due to being a close contact.

The district reports 33 district facilities to have students currently out due to the coronavirus. The district is reporting 20 of the elementary schools, all of the middle schools and high schools and two district-wide facilities are affected.

There are 53 students that have tested positive for COVID-19. The district is reporting 22 students in elementary, eight students in middle school, 20 students in high school and three students at a district-wide facility have tested positive for the coronavirus.

There are 268 students who are required to quarantine due to the coronavirus. The district reports 153 elementary students are currently quarantining, 73 students in middle school, 28 students in high school and 15 students at district-wide facilities.

Cole county reports second straight day of over 40 new coronavirus cases

The Cole County Health Department reported 44 new coronavirus cases from Tuesday

According to the dashboard update, there are 12,168 residential cases and 292 long-term care facility resident cases. That is 12,460 total cases in the county.

Cole County reports there are 169 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began.

Cole County ranks 63rd in the state for counties with the most coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the past week. Cases are down 37.4% when comparing last week to the prior week. The county has reported a 9.5% positivity test rate, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports about 53.1% of the county have initiated their first dose of the vaccine and 48.9% of the county's population have been fully vaccinated.

The Jefferson City School District reported two new coronavirus cases in students and two new cases in staff members from Monday.

The district is reporting nine active cases in students and three active cases in staff.

The district is reporting 137 close contacts for students and 16 close contacts for staff.

Missouri adds 1,800 new coronavirus cases to dashboard; 71 deaths after analyzing death certificates

The state of Missouri’s daily average of new coronavirus cases has gone back up to a 1,885 seven-day average (13,194 confirmed cases from the previous week of reporting) as the state reports new coronavirus cases across the state according to state health department reporting. The daily average looks at the last seven days and doesn't account for the past three days, which will push that number even higher.

The state reported 1,800 new coronavirus cases through PCR testing and another 818 probable cases identified in antigen testing Tuesday, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services coronavirus dashboard. Missouri has now reported 767,514 confirmed cases for the pandemic and more than 176,342 probable cases.

The state recorded 71 more confirmed deaths for 12,797 and 34 new probable deaths for 2,892 total.

Missouri's new cases are up down 9.1% over the past week, the state reports, as recent cases surge nationwide.

The rate of positive tests was at 12.5% for the last week.

Cole, Pettis, Callaway, Osage, Moniteau, Miller, Saline and Boone counties are all in the top 40 Missouri counties in new cases per capita over the last week, according to state statistics.

The state reports that over 2.15% (up .03% from Monday) of vaccinated Missourians have developed COVID-19 infections.

Experts continue to tout vaccination as the best tool to fight the wave of new cases. Still, new vaccinations have effectively stalled in Missouri, with more boosters being given daily than first or second shots. The state reported Thursday that 52.7% of Missouri residents are fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are also trending upward, with the state reporting 26% of total hospital capacity and 17% of ICU capacity remaining. Those numbers are at 39% and 34% in Central Missouri, respectively.

Boone County health department offering boosters for teens

The health department for Columbia and Boone County will coronavirus booster vaccination appointments for 16- and 17-year-olds after regulators authorized the shots last week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for a third dose in some teens. The booster shot is meant to be given six months after the initial two-shot vaccine is administered.

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Senior Services said in a news release Tuesday that it is offering appointments during its shot clinics for 16- and 17-year-olds to get boosters. The clinics are available for anyone needing any dose of the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Appointments can be made online.

Nearly 53% of Missourians are fully vaccinated against coronavirus, though the growth in new vaccinations has slowed significantly. Most of the vaccine doses administered in the state this fall have been booster doses. Boone County has one of the highest vaccination rates in the state with nearly 55% of the population fully vaccinated.

Health officials stress that the best way to stop severe coronavirus infections and slow the spread of the virus is through vaccination.

A list of other health care providers administering the vaccine is available at como.gov/covidvaccine.