Approximately 2,800 COVID-19 deaths have been added to the Missouri dashboard

Missouri’s COVID-19 deaths increased by more than 20% on Thursday afternoon, killing more than 15,000.

The 2,771 deaths added to the report are not news for the local health sector. They have been plagued by health and senior services department complaints for months that they do not want to recognize the death confirmed by the antigen or rapid test, rather than the patient’s diagnosis being a laboratory-tested sample.

Death data, which the department calls “estimated” COVID-19 deaths, was added eight months after the department began reporting antigen-identified infections in its daily report. The department stated in a news release that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated the definition of “probable” cases and deaths.

These updates were published in August.

“We are working on this CDC requirement and other data reporting requirements as quickly as possible, while ensuring that we are reporting as accurately as possible,” said a spokeswoman for the agency. One Lisa Cox writes by email.

The update also increased the total number of state-wide cases to 888,720, or 10,706, compared to what was reported Thursday morning before the updated information was released.

The deaths of 15,198 people represent 1.71 percent of all positive cases. Nationally, the mortality rate for identified cases is 1.61 percent. Globally, that percentage is 2 percent.

Other changes made on Thursday include information on breakthrough infections in vaccinated Missourians and cases that tested positive for COVID-19 more than 90 days later.

“The dashboard enhancements released this week are a natural evolution of the data currently available for viruses, further clarifying the importance of being vaccinated,” said Donald, director of the department. Kawelauf said in the release.

Data show that breakthrough infections, defined as positive for a person more than two weeks after receiving the final vaccine, occur in about 10% of new cases in early June to 25% of cases in the last few weeks. It shows that it has risen above.

There are a total of 54,285 breakthrough cases, 13% of cases reported after January 1st and about 2% of the vaccinated population. The 654 deaths of people with breakthrough infections are about 10% of the deaths in 2021 and 0.2% of fully vaccinated Mizurians.

There were 6,581 people who were previously positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and became positive again after more than 90 days.

“This data reaffirms what we’ve been saying for almost a year. The COVID vaccine is very effective in preventing hospitalization and death,” Kawelauf said in a news release. “Vaccines continue to be an effective tool for protecting Mizurians from serious illness. This new data released by DHSS is especially for those at high risk due to age and health concerns. It emphasizes the importance of receiving boosters when qualified. The immune response after vaccination is strong. “

This update reflects Independent’s findings that track the differences between the data reported by the local health department and the information presented online by the state health department.

In March, a few days before the department added antigen-identified cases, the Local Health Department reported that 78,112 cases were not reported at the state level, not including about 1,100 deaths. bottom.

The total number of cases in the state increased by 81,206 when the department added cases with antigen identification on March 8.

The gap between the official state deaths and local reports widens throughout the year, and when Independent checked local data in late October, the local health sector was 1,373 more than the state reports showed. Recorded the dead.

Analysis of newly reported cases shows that rural counties were the least reported. The largest 10 percent increase occurred in all counties with a population of 21,000 or less. Grundy County, northwestern Missouri, is the largest addition, accounting for 5.4 percent of previously reported cases.

An analysis of deaths added on Thursday shows that rural counties are also the least underreported for COVID-19 deaths. Shariton County, central Missouri, has added 22 deaths in addition to the eight already recognized by the State Health Department.

The other two counties, Scotland and Mercer, have also more than tripled the previously reported deaths.

The counties with the highest per capita mortality and more than 1 in 200 deaths from COVID-19 due to the renewal are Grundy, Gasconade, Holt, Livingston and Dade.

The lowest mortality rates are in Worth County, which has a mortality rate of less than 1 in 1,000, and Boone County, which has a mortality rate of just over 1 in 1,000.

Missouri Independent is a non-profit, non-partisan news organization that addresses the impact on the state government and its Missourian people.