MONDAY UPDATES: Missouri DHSS adds 222 coronavirus related deaths after analyzing death certificates
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has added 222 COVID-19 related deaths after the state’s disease surveillance system analyzed death certificates.
Officials say the deaths will be captured and reported publicly through the dashboard Tuesday morning.
Of the 222 deaths:
- One in October
- Five in November
- 216 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.
Boone County reports largest single-day increase of coronavirus cases
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reported 780 new COVID-19 cases from Saturday, Sunday and Monday. According to the dashboard, 564 cases were reported on Monday, the largest single-day record. The dashboard reports that 136 of the new cases were between the ages of 18 and 22 on Sunday.
There are currently 2,032 active cases in the county and 31,517 cases since the pandemic began.
The county reported 29,293 cases removed from isolation. Over 88% of active cases are in the 65201, 65202 and 65203 zip codes.
Boone County ranks seventh in the state with the most coronavirus cases in total volume in the past week. Cases are up 87.4% when comparing last week to the prior week. The county has a 31.2% positivity test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
The health department's hospital status is yellow with 142 COVID-19 patients in Boone County hospitals and 10 of them being Boone County residents. Of the 142 patients, 27 are in intensive care and 17 are on ventilators.
The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports that 115,872 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 102,041 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 64.2%. The largest county in the state is St. Louis County with 68.5%.
Boone County is third in the state with a reported 56.5% of residents that have completed their coronavirus vaccine doses. St. Louis County is the first county in the state with 60.2% of residents having completed the doses for vaccination. The city of Joplin has 61.2% of the population fully vaccinated.
Cole County has the second-highest first vaccination rate in Mid-Missouri with 54.4%. Callaway County is third with 50.4%.
The Columbia Public Schools reports active coronavirus and quarantine cases to their website daily.
The district reported a 159.6 14-day rate per 10,000 for Tuesday. The highest the rate has been.
CPS reports 26 district facilities (14 elementary schools, four middle schools, three high schools and five other district-wide facilities) currently have staff out because of COVID-19. The district is reporting 26 staff members at an elementary school, 10 staff members at middle schools, nine staff members at high schools and two staff members at district-wide facilities who have tested positive for COVID-19. Three staff members at elementary schools, three staff members at high schools and one staff member at a district-wide facility 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, six of the seven middle schools, all four of the high schools and three district-wide facilities are affected.
There are 145 students that have tested positive for COVID-19. The district is reporting 78 students in elementary, 35 students in middle school, 32 students in high school and one student in a district-wide facility have tested positive for the coronavirus.
There are 81 students who are required to quarantine due to the coronavirus. The district reports 41 elementary students are currently quarantining, 19 students in middle school, four students in high school and 17 students at district-wide facilities.
Cole County reports 165 new coronavirus cases from over the weekend
The Cole County Health Department reported 165 new coronavirus cases Monday.
According to the dashboard update, there are 13,213 residential cases and 295 long-term care facility resident cases. That is 13,508 total cases in the county.
Cole County has reported 174 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began.
Cole County ranks 27th in the state for counties with the most coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the past week. Cases are up 52.3% when comparing last week to the prior week. The county has reported a 28.8% positivity test rate, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports about 54.4% of the county have initiated their first dose of the vaccine and 50.1% of the county's population have been fully vaccinated.
The Jefferson City School District reported two new coronavirus cases in students and seven new cases in staff members Sunday.
The district is reporting 29 active cases in students and 26 active cases in staff.
The district is reporting 164 close contacts for students and 24 close contacts for staff.
State of Missouri reports over 7,000 new coronavirus cases
The state of Missouri reported 8,042 new and probable coronavirus cases Monday.
The state of Missouri’s daily average of new coronavirus cases has gone back up to a 7,597 seven-day average (53,181 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 7,100 new coronavirus cases through PCR testing and another 942 probable cases identified in antigen testing from Wednesday, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services coronavirus dashboard. Missouri has now reported 898,387 confirmed cases for the pandemic and more than 210,766 probable cases.
The state recorded no new deaths for 13,318 total and no new probable deaths for a total of 3,024.
Missouri's new cases are up 34.4% over the past week, the state reports, as recent cases surge nationwide.
The rate of positive tests is 33.6% for the last week. A higher positivity suggests higher transmission and that there are likely more people with coronavirus in the community who haven’t been tested yet.
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 3.64% (a .01% decrease from last reported on Friday) 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 Tuesday that 54.3% of Missouri residents are fully vaccinated.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are also trending upward, with the state reporting 24% of total hospital capacity and 15% of ICU capacity remaining. Those numbers are at 35% and 29% in Central Missouri, respectively.
MU Health Care tightens visitor restrictions amid coronavirus surge
University of Missouri Health Care will again limit patients to one visitor as the record coronavirus surge continues.
The health care provider said in a news release Monday that one visitor will be allowed for adult inpatients at University Hospital, the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute, Missouri Psychiatric Center and Women's Hospital, effective immediately. MU Health had been allowing two visitors after having a one-visitor rule in place earlier on in the now nearly two-year pandemic.
No visitors will be allowed for adult patients with COVID-19 or those in semi-private rooms, MU Health Care said in its release. Pediatric patients will still be allowed to have up to two parents or guardians as visitors.
Emergency patients, outpatients and people attending clinics will also be limited to one visitor.
Visiting hours are offered from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Hours for the Missouri Psychiatric Center at 4 to 8 p.m. daily.
MU Health Care is treating more coronavirus patients at its hospitals as cases continue to soar locally and across the state, with numerous records for new cases and hospitalizations set in the past week. MU Health Care reported 82 COVID-19 patients Monday morning, with 16 on ventilators.
MU Health reported 20 of its COVID-19 patients are vaccinated. Experts say the more transmissible omicron variant appears to be causing more breakthrough infections in vaccinated people, though they remain confident in the vaccines' ability to fight severe infection and hospitalization.
Data from the state of Missouri show an increasing share of breakthrough cases and reinfections with coronavirus in recent weeks. Last week, nearly 22% of new infections in Missouri were breakthrough cases. However, the state says 81% of cases and 89% of deaths in Missouri have been in people who are not fully vaccinated.
