MONDAY UPDATE: Boone County reports over 1,000 active coronavirus cases; highest number of active cases since Dec. 2020

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reported one new coronavirus-related death. The death was the 190th since the first death was reported in March 2020. The individual was in the 80+ age group and died Dec. 26.

The county reported 495 new COVID-19 cases Monday.

There are currently 1,002 active cases in the county and 29,375 cases since the pandemic began. The last time active cases were this high was on Dec. 21, 2020 when 1,015 cases were reported.

The county reported 28,183 cases removed from isolation. Over 87% of active cases are in the 65201, 65202 and 65203 zip codes.

Boone County ranks eighth in the state with the most coronavirus cases in total volume in the past week. Cases are up 129.1% when comparing last week to the prior week. The county has a 21.5% positivity test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

The health department's hospital status is yellow with 126 COVID-19 patients in Boone County hospitals and 12 of them being Boone County residents. Of the 126 patients, 29 are in intensive care and 17 are on ventilators.

The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports that 114,973 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 101,208 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 63.7%. The largest county in the state is St. Louis County with 67.9%.

Boone County is third in the state with a reported 56.1% of residents that have completed their coronavirus vaccine doses. St. Louis County is the first county in the state with 59.8% of residents having completed the doses for vaccination. The city of Joplin has 60.8% of the population fully vaccinated.

Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 54.1%. Callaway County is third with 50%.

Missouri DHSS adds 180 coronavirus related deaths after analyzing death certificates

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has added 180 COVID-19 related deaths after the state’s disease surveillance system analyzed several death certificates.

Officials say the deaths will be captured and reported publicly through the dashboard Tuesday morning.

Of the 180 deaths:

• One in September
• One in October
• 18 in November
• 160 in December

Officials at DHSS report the weekly activity typically causes a sharp increase in the deaths added to Missouri’s total the following day. DHSS is now regularly analyzing death certificates on Mondays.

Cole County reports over 100 new coronavirus cases over weekend

The Cole County Health Department reported 108 new coronavirus cases Monday.

According to the dashboard update, there are 12,730 residential cases and 292 long-term care facility resident cases. That is 12,914 total cases in the county.

Cole County has reported 170 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began.

Cole County ranks 34th in the state for counties with the most coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the past week. Cases are up 61.5% when comparing last week to the prior week. The county has reported a 20.2% positivity test rate, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports about 54.1% of the county have initiated their first dose of the vaccine and 49.8% of the county's population have been fully vaccinated.

State of Missouri reports over 20,000 new coronavirus cases over New Year's weekend

The state of Missouri reported 27,692 new and probable coronavirus Monday.

The state of Missouri’s daily average of new coronavirus cases has gone back up to a 5,010 seven-day average (35,067 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 23,374 new coronavirus cases through PCR testing and another 4,318 probable cases identified in antigen testing from over the weekend, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services coronavirus dashboard. Missouri has now reported 839,208 confirmed cases for the pandemic and more than 195,397 probable cases.

The state recorded 12 more confirmed deaths for 13,125 and no new probable deaths for 2,961 total.

Missouri's new cases are up 88.8% over the past week, the state reports, as recent cases surge nationwide.

The rate of positive tests is 27.3% 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 2.69% (a .09 increase from last reported on Thursday) 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 53.9% of Missouri residents are fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are also trending upward, with the state reporting 26% of total hospital capacity and 18% of ICU capacity remaining. Those numbers are at 36% and 31% in Central Missouri, respectively.

SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital updates visitor guidelines due to omicron variant

Beginning Tuesday, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Jefferson City will begin restricting visitors due to an increase in community transmission of the omicron variant.

All patient visitors to the hospital will be restricted to one visitor per day except in the following circumstances:

• Family Birth Center patients are allowed two support people for the duration of the stay.
• Pediatric patients must always have one guardian and are allowed up to two guardians/support people.
• Patients having a surgery or procedure are allowed one support person.
• Plaza Pharmacy customers are limited to one person.
• COVID-positive patients will not be allowed visitors.
• Limited visitors may be allowed for end-of-life situations with approval from nursing leadership.

Support people must enter through the Outpatient Entrance between 5 am and 7 pm Monday through Friday and 10 am until 7 pm on the weekend. Additionally, the following guidelines are in place:

• Masks or face coverings are required at all times. Support people are expected to bring their own masks.
• All entrants are subject to screening before entering the facility.
• Patient visitors cannot be under the age of 16.
• Support people are expected to stay in the patient room or designated waiting area to the extent possible.
• Support people must follow hand hygiene and social distancing guidelines.

“We have again seen an increase in hospitalizations from COVID-19 and a substantial increase in community transmission,” said Becky Miller, vice-president of operations for St. Mary’s Hospital. “We are taking this step to continue to allow support to our patients while keeping our patients and staff as safe as possible. We appreciate the community’s cooperation and ask for the community’s assistance in slowing the spread of COVID-19.”