This article is free to all readers because it includes information important to the health and safety of our community.
Moniteau County reported its 11th death due to the coronavirus Tuesday, the county's second COVID-19 death this week and sixth in the past month.
The person who died was in their 70s. Per a news release from the Moniteau County Health Center, no further information will be released about the person.
New active cases of COVID-19 continue to spike in Moniteau County, where active cases sit at 98 as of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and the total case count since March has reached 721. Three Moniteau County COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized.
The 146 cases added in the county over the past week account for 20 percent of the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic.
The Health Center again urged everyone to take actions to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including avoiding close contact with people who are sick; avoiding touching one's eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands; washing one's hands with soap and water regularly; cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces regularly; staying home if one feels sick; and adhering to proper social distancing by remaining 6 feet away from others and wearing a facial covering when engaging in tasks away from home.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will host a free drive-thru COVID-19 community testing event in Moniteau County next week.
The community testing event is scheduled from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Moniteau County Fairgrounds in California.
The testing is open to all Missouri residents and does not require a physician's order or that symptoms be present. Online registration for the community testing event is open at dcphdo02redcap.azurewebsites.net/redcap/surveys/?s=XTLH7FCLD7.
A Miller County DHSS community testing event is planned from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 2 in the parking lot of the Eldon Community Center, 309 E. 2nd St. in Eldon.
Symptoms of COVID-19 may include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For more information about COVID-19, visit the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website at health.mo.gov/coronavirus or the CDC website at cdc.gov/coronavirus.
Missouri operates a statewide COVID-19 hotline at 877-435-8411 from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week.