COVID-19 cases in Columbia trending down in September

Since rising in July and remaining steady into the start of the school year, COVID-19 cases in Boone County have decreased in September.

Although numbers are lower now than what mid-Missouri saw much of the summer, positive cases are still higher than they were much of the spring.

"We are still in a place where we are seeing higher numbers now than we did in several months prior to June," said Sara Humm, Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services spokesperson.

There are 442 active cases in Boone County as of Monday. Seventy-five patients are in county hospitals with complications related to COVID-19, including 28 county residents.

More:Boone County COVID-19 hospital status back to green after months of yellow

There are public health concerns with flu season approaching, so focus has been shifted to school-based influenza vaccination clinics instead of COVID-19 vaccination clinics, Humm said. The worry lies with the fall and winter seasons being a prime time for illness of any kind; influenza typically survives best in cold, dry climates.

There are currently no set dates for additional COVID-19 vaccination clinics run by the health department, but other options are available for those looking to get vaccinated against the virus, Humm said. Other options include attending clinics hosted by other organizations or scheduling an appointment with a primary care physician.

County numbers earlier this month showed positive COVID-19 cases upward of 600, with hospital status reporting yellow over recent months. However, as cases have dropped, hospitals have turned to reporting green as the strain on them lessened.

MU Health Care adds COVID-19 vaccine status to dashboard

MU Health Care has added additional information to its COVID-19 dashboard, with numbers to reflect whether patients in its care are vaccinated or unvaccinated. 

“Our data show the majority of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 are unvaccinated,” said Dr. Stevan Whitt, MU Health's chief clinical officer, in a news release. “It remains vitally important to get vaccinated, as vaccinations are the best way to protect against severe illness and death due to COVID-19.”

The dashboard allows for increased transparency around hospitalization trends and will be updated multiple times per day. For the organization to deem someone fully vaccinated, they must have confirmed record of vaccination at least 14 days prior to hospital admission, according to the release.

MU Health Care has 49 patients in its care with COVID-related complications as of Tuesday. Of those, 40 are unvaccinated. Of the 24 people in ICUs, 21 are unvaccinated. Seventeen patients are currently on ventilators, of which 15 are unvaccinated.

Humm said that with the numbers of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated patients being easily accessible, there is a sense of encouragement that those who are vaccine-hesitant will seek out the shot. Unvaccinated individuals are largely the ones affected by severe symptoms when it comes to COVID-19 hospitalizations.

"We like to hope that people are continuing those mitigation efforts of doing what they can to keep themselves and their families safe and healthy," she said.

Columbia Public Schools, University of Missouri numbers

Columbia Public Schools' dashboard reports 32 active student cases of COVID-19, with an additional 176 students out of school because of exposure to the virus.

Five CPS staff members are currently on leave due to COVID-19.

At the University of Missouri, there are 18 active student cases. Only one student has been hospitalized with COVID-related symptoms since the start of the school year.