Active COVID-19 cases in Boone County have decreased by over 250 in the past week. Monday, there were 373 active cases in the county compared to 638 a week ago.
That's a 41.5% decrease.
Also, 3,921 people in Boone County were released from isolation compared to 1,105 people who are in quarantine.
At Boone Hospital Center, there were 12 COVID-19 inpatients as of Monday, according to the hospital's website.
Jeffrey Hoelscher, public affairs officer at Truman Veterans' Hospital, said the hospital had eight inpatient veterans with COVID-19 on Monday.
MU Health Care reported 24 inpatients and 23 “pending” inpatients. According to MU Health Care’s website, pending refers to patients in whom the virus is suspected but for whom test results are not yet available.
MU Health Care’s website also says the hospital tests each patient admitted, whether the person has COVID-19 symptoms or not.
Last week, the number of inpatients peaked at 61 in the county, according to Health Department data, with 59 people hospitalized as of Friday.
On Monday, Boone County's COVID-19 dashboard showed 21 patients in the intensive care unit and 11 on ventilators. These numbers are important because they can signal strain on hospital resources.
Not all of the total 44 inpatients are Boone County residents. That number was 15 on Monday afternoon.
MU's tracker showed 154 active student cases, equal to 0.6% of the student body.
According to previous Missourian reporting, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services director Randall Williams said MU is not doing enough testing.
“I have incredible respect for Mun (Choi) and what he’s doing,” Williams said. “But at this point, we would like people to get tested — as many as can get tested.”
Williams said Missouri has a capacity of about 100,000 tests per week.
In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement that said those who were in close contact with an infected person but showed no symptoms, “do not necessarily need a test.” On Friday, the CDC reversed that directive. Now the CDC website states that anyone who has been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 should be tested.
“People with COVID-19 can still spread the virus even if they don’t have any symptoms," the CDC states under a FAQ section on testing. The agency advises those who have been potentially exposed to the virus to quarantine for 14 days and to get tested.
MU’s website also states that those who have been directly exposed to someone with COVID-19 should be tested. Furthermore, MU has contact tracers who notify those who need to be tested and quarantine. MU’s Show Me Renewal Plan states that asymptomatic people will be tested by MU seven to nine days after potential exposure, in an attempt to prevent any false negatives. Those experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 will be tested immediately.