FRIDAY UPDATES: Boone County remains in high COVID-19 high category as average daily cases fall
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The seven-day average of new coronavirus cases in Boone County continued its decline from a spike in late June with the latest numbers reported Friday.
The county health department said 64 positive tests were reported Wednesday -- the last day for which numbers are available. That total helped push the weekly average down to 205 from more than 270 at one point in late June, according to the department's numbers.
The July 8 COVID-19 data update includes 48,002 positive cases recorded in Boone County since the beginning of the pandemic. A total of 64 positive tests were recorded on July 6. Please note that this data is preliminary and subject to change as new info becomes available.
— Columbia/Boone Co. Public Health & Human Services (@CoMo_HealthDept) July 8, 2022
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Cases in Boone County remain well below the peaks of the omicron surge this past winter. However, they've increased this summer, similar to reports in areas around the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has placed Boone County in its high-transmission category. Among the guidelines for that category is use of masks indoors.
The Missouri Hospital Association has also placed the southwest region of the state and St. Louis and Kansas City areas in its regional high-transmission category, according to the state's latest COVID-19 report, issued Friday.
Boone County's health department reported 34 COVID-19 patients in hospitals Friday with five of them in intensive care. The county's hospitals were operating in yellow status, meaning they've limited some transfers and delayed some procedures.
The daily average of coronavirus patients in hospitals statewide has dipped slightly this month. The state reported 846 patients in Missouri hospitals as of Wednesday, the most recent figure available. The state reported 11,728 cases in the last seven days, compared to the 13,302 cases for the week ending June 26.
Health experts have expressed concerns as case numbers grow this summer and a new omicron subvariant that may be more contagious becomes the dominant coronavirus strain.
