The number of people hospitalized for the coronavirus has nearly tripled in areas outside of Missouri's two largest metropolitan areas since the state reopened for business in mid-June.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services' COVID-19 dashboard shows that the state's northwest, southeast, southwest and central regions all reached record highs for virus-related hospitalizations on Monday, based on seven-day averages.
Excluding the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, hospitalizations in Missouri have risen 186% in the 3-and-a-half months since Republican Gov. Mike Parson allowed the state to reopen on June 16.
