Tuesday update: South African coronavirus mutant found in adults living in Jackson County

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports the first confirmation that a South African coronavirus variant in the state was found in a resident of Jackson County.

Authorities confirmed the mutant through whole-genome sequencing conducted through a commercial laboratory.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown that as of April 5, 374 South African variants have been reported to the US CDC.

Authorities report that the mutant is not known to cause more serious disease and it is not clear if it will spread more easily than other strains. Although this strain may reduce the effectiveness of some vaccines, the vaccines still provide strong protection against serious illness and death.

Dr. Randall Williams, Director of DHSS, said: “We also continue to ask individuals to consider getting vaccinated when possible. Vaccines currently available in the United States appear to be effective against these mutant viruses. I will. “

The British variant was first identified in Missouri in February 2021.

More than one-third of Boone County receives the first dose of coronavirus vaccine

The Columbia / Boone County Public Health and Welfare Department has reported 20 new COVID-19 cases.

Currently, there are 69 active cases in the county.

The county currently has a reported total of 17,971 COVID-19 cases.

The county reported a total of 17,817 cases excluded from quarantine.

The Columbia / Boone County Public Health and Welfare Department dashboard reports an average of 11 for the last five days.

The dashboard reports a positive rate of 7.6% from March 26th to last Thursday.

The county continues to decline as single-digit or double-digit cases have increased for 68 consecutive days.

The Department of Health reports that the total number of hospitalizations in Boone County is 16.

It is reported that the number of inhabitants of Boone County hospitalized is three.

The dashboard reports that there are two COVID-19 patients in the ICU and no patients on ventilator.

The hospital status remains “green” status. “Green” status is when the hospital operates within the approved bed capacity. Accept patient transfers from referral hospitals within standard care operating procedures.

The Missouri Coronavirus Vaccine Dashboard reports that 61,961 residents received their first dose in Boone County.

The county has the highest percentage of people in central Missouri who have been vaccinated at least once, at 34.3%.

Cole County has the second highest first immunization rate at 28.6% in central Missouri. Sarine District is third with 28.5%.

Missouri Creates Weekly COVID-19 Test Event in Jefferson City

Missouri hosts community coronavirus testing sites in the state-wide community to improve access to testing options and learn more about the prevalence of COVID-19 community infections, especially in the early stages of this public health emergency.

“We quickly learned how important testing is to prevent the spread of the virus early in this public health crisis,” said Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Told. “While the demand for COVID-19 testing has changed over the last year, it is still a key factor in moving us beyond this virus.”

In Jefferson City, the state will host tests next Sunday, April 11th and 18th, May 9th and 23rd, and June 13th and 27th at Tanner Bridge Road’s American Military Association # 1423. I will.From 11:00 am to 7:00 pm

“This means that precautions and extensive testing are much more important to move us beyond COVID-19, as we remain concerned about mutations that occur throughout the United States.” Williams said. “Knowing the COVID-19 diagnosis gives us the knowledge we need to protect ourselves and those around us.”

No pre-registration or reservation is required. A government-issued ID is not required, but if available, it will speed up the onsite registration process. Community test events are a free COVID-19 test option.

Health officials carry out nearly 5 million PCR tests in Missouri

As of Tuesday’s COVID-19 dashboard update, nearly 5 million PCR tests have been conducted in Missouri since the pandemic began.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said: 4.96 million tests were conducted According to the dashboard, at least 11% are back positive.

According to the data, health officials performed an average of about 4,500 tests daily during the week ending Saturday.

Health authorities have conducted a total of 6.3 million tests. That number includes PCR, antigens, and serology tests. Both PCR and antigen testing are used to determine if a person has a case of COVID-19. Serological tests are only used to find out if someone has the COVID-19 antibody.

Missouri’s 7-day COVID-19 positive rate was reported to be 4.5%-cumulative positive rate was reported to be 16.9%. Both prices have dropped in a few months.

As the state’s positive rate declines, so does the COVID-19 test. Since mid-February, health authorities have not conducted more than 66,000 tests per week. From July 2020 to January 2021, the ministry said the state averaged at least 100,000 tests each week.

According to the dashboard, more than 491,000 Mizurians have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, an increase of 309 from the previous day.

A total of 8,508 deaths have been added to the state’s pandemic deaths since March 2020.

Coronavirus vaccination increased from the previous day. According to the dashboard, more than 2.75 million vaccinations have been given and more than 1.7 million Mizurians have begun vaccination.

More than a million people have been vaccinated, according to health ministry data.

Boone County has the highest immunization rate in the state, with 34.3% of Boone County starting vaccination.that is Half percent increase From the day before.