Moniteau County reports 12th COVID-19 death

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Moniteau County reported its 12th death of a resident due to COVID-19 on Thursday.

The person who died was in their 60s, according to a news release from the Moniteau County Health Center.

Seven Moniteau County have died due to COVID-19 in the past two weeks.

Since Oct. 1, the county has seen its highest increase in cases since the start of the pandemic as it added 391 new cases, 12 of which required hospital admission, according to the Health Center.

Active cases of COVID-19 in Moniteau County number at 113 as of 5 p.m. Thursday. The total case count since March stands at 765;g more than half of the county's total cases have been added just during this month.

The Health Center again urged everyone to take actions to prevent 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.