COVID-19 deaths on the decline in Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
New COVID-19 deaths are dropping in Missouri even as hospitals are seeing more patients than during previous pandemic waves.
More than 13,000 Missourians have died because of COVID-19 since the pandemic started nearly two years ago. However, according to Missouri's most recent COVID-19 data, the state's death rate is dropping.
According to Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services, from Dec. 23 through last Friday, newly confirmed deaths reported dropped from a weekly average of 25 to an average of four. Deaths are down nearly 29% over the last week, the department reports.
Boone County is also experiencing some relief in COVID-19 deaths. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports deaths have been at a virtual standstill for the past month in Boone County.
Dave Dillon, spokesperson for Missouri's Hospital Association says on a statewide level, Missouri is also down 400 people in the hospital from the last week.
"The capacity that is now opening up in the metros, as their rates come down, their better able to manage uh there own uh space at St. Louis and Kansas City hospitals it means it takes the pressure off of the other hospitals who were having problems,", Dillon says.
Although Missouri is experiencing a drop in COVID-19 death cases, not all states nationwide can say the same. USA Today reported Friday that omicron cases are in fact falling in much of the nation but a large wave of infection continues to raise the U.S. death tolls from COVID-19. Since around mid-November, seven-day rolling averages for new daily COVID-19 deaths nationwide have been rising. The number of deaths reached over 2,200 on Thursday passing September's peak of 2,100.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that the number of newly reported COVID-19 deaths will remain stable or have an uncertain trend over the next four weeks. With between 4,900 to over 25,000 new deaths likely reported in the week ending on Feb. 19. The national ensemble predicts that close to 1 million deaths since the beginning of the pandemic will also be recorded on that day.
Despite Missouri's fast-falling death rate, hospitalizations remain higher than they were during previous pandemic waves. Hospital bed capacity and intensive care capacity were at 15% statewide in the latest report Monday.
Dillon says the community still has much work to do and having more hospital beds available statewide is a step in the right direction.
"And while I'd say we're not in a good space in the state, we're getting to a better one and the patients are likely to have a better outcome of the space we're creating", Dillon said.
Health experts also say the vaccine is still the best way to protect yourself from severe illness and death.
