WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Cole County reports 11th death
UPDATE 8:55 P.M.: Cole County reported its 11th death Wednesday.
According to the Cole County Health Department's website, seven of the county's deaths have been reported in long-term care facilities.
The newest death was not in a nursing home but health officials did not release any other details.
The county has seen a total of 1,033 cases since the start of the pandemic. Of those, 57 have been in nursing homes.
As of Wednesday, 136 of the cases are active and 836 have recovered.
The county gained 13 new cases Wednesday, which is below the county's record daily increase of 40, which was reported earlier this month.
UPDATE 4:25 P.M.: Boone County has logged its fourth straight day of new COVID-19 cases below 100 after a weekend that saw a record 221 COVID-19 cases reported Saturday.
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services reported 63 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. The four-day streak of cases below 100 follows a four-day streak of cases in the triple digits.
Despite the lower numbers, Boone County has still logged 268 cases over the past four days.
With Wednesday's report, the five-day average of new daily cases continued to fall, reaching 97.8. That's down from a peak of 143.4 on Saturday, according to the health department's online COVID-19 dashboard.
People in the college age bracket have helped fuel the massive case gains seen in Boone County this summer. Of the new cases Wednesday, 38 were in people 18-22 years old.
The new cases bring the county's total to 3,599 since the pandemic began. Active cases dropped by 33 Wednesday to reach 1,032. Another 1,504 people were in quarantine because of exposure to novel coronavirus.
Boone County's hospitals reported a record 52 patients with COVID-19. Of those, 18 are in intensive care and four are on ventilators.
The positivity rate -- a measure of the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who get a positive result -- for last week was still not available Wednesday. The health department on its website cited delays in getting information from the state.
Columbia Public Schools is tracking the number of cases per 10,000 people in the district's boundaries over the last 14 days as a benchmark for whether classes will be online or in person. The rate dipped below 90 Wednesday after two days above that mark.
The benchmark for all-online education is 50.
Two community COVID-19 testing events planned in Columbia
Two separate community COVID-19 testing events will take place starting Friday in Columbia.
Compass Health and the Family Health Center will hold a testing event at 3501 Berrywood Drive from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. No doctor's order is required to be tested. Online registration is required.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will hold an event next Monday from noon to 7 p.m. and Tuesday from 7 a.m. to noon at The Crossing Church, 3615 Southland Drive.
The state testing is open to any Missouri resident at no cost, regardless of whether they have symptoms of COVID-19. Online registration is required.
Callaway County reports third COVID-19 death
UPDATE 2:55 P.M.: The Callaway County Health Department reported its third death from COVID-19 on Wednesday.
The department reported the death on its website but did not give any details about the person who died. The department also reported 20 additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday for a total of 404 since the pandemic began.
However, active cases increased by only one to reach 118.
Callaway County, like others in Mid-Missouri, has seen a surge in cases this summer. The two colleges in the county -- Westminster College and William Woods University, both in Fulton -- reported dozens of active cases combined this week.
Westminster reported three active employee cases and 27 active student cases as of Monday.
William Woods had three active student cases and no active employee cases as of Wednesday.
Missouri back above 1,000 new COVID-19 cases
UPDATE 2:25 P.M.: Missouri's new COVID-19 cases pushed past 1,000 on Wednesday after spending two days in the triple digits.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported 1,362 new cases Wednesday to bring the total since the pandemic began to 96,475. The state reported 12 more deaths for a total of 1,673.
The state was coming off two days with cases below 1,000. Case totals have varied widely, with new cases reaching nearly 2,000 on Saturday.
Despite the increase in new cases Wednesday the seven-day positivity rate dropped by three-tenths of a point to 13.5 percent. The rate is a measurement of the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 over the past week who get a positive result.
The average age of those testing positive has declined this summer as more young people test positive for the novel coronavirus. Over the last seven days that number was 38 years old, according to the state's COVID-19 online dashboard.
The story has been similar in Mid-Missouri, as counties around the area continue to see case gains larger than those in late spring and early summer. The growth in Boone County's cases has put the county in the top tier for cases per 100,000 people and has been fueled in large part by the college-age population.
Saline and Pettis counties are also in the top tier.
The state reported 896 hospitalizations as of Monday -- the most recent figure available. The number has fallen from 966 reported Thursday.
Active COVID-19 cases at University of Missouri decline
ORIGINAL: The number of active cases among University of Missouri students living in Boone County dropped by nearly two dozen Wednesday.
MU reported on its COVID-19 case tracking web page that 635 students living in Boone County have active novel coronavirus infections. That's down 23 from Tuesday.
MU reported 498 recovered cases for an overall case total higher than 1,000. MU reported 424 active cases a week ago.
Health officials say the hundreds of student cases are helping to drive a continuing surge in Boone County. The surge has led Columbia Public Schools to start its year with online-only instruction. CPS began classes Tuesday.
The rate tracked by CPS -- the number of cases per 10,000 people per 14 days in the district boundaries -- was at 90 on Tuesday and will be updated after county case numbers are released in the late afternoon.
Jefferson City private school goes to virtual classes
Calvary Lutheran High School in Jefferson City moved to online-only instruction this week after starting the year with in-person classes.
John Christman, the school's executive director, said the move happened after COVID-19 cases were identified on campus. Christman said the school hopes to resume in-person classes as soon as next Monday.
