Though still prevalent in Moniteau County, active coronavirus cases among residents have dropped below 100 for the first time since Oct. 26.
Active COVID-19 cases on any given day throughout the majority of the month of November were in the mid- to upper-100s, peaking at 243 active cases Nov. 12. Cases first dropped below 100 on Nov. 27 and have slowly kept declining since.
As it now stands as of early Tuesday afternoon, active cases in the county number at 81, four of which are hospitalized. Since the start of the pandemic, Moniteau County has seen 1,386 total cases of COVID-19 and recorded 15 deaths.
Despite the recent decline, Moniteau County remains in the "extreme risk" classification under the state of Missouri's recently-updated guidance, per the Moniteau County Health Center. That means Moniteau County has most recently shown a seven-day PCR positivity rate of 15 percent or above and a seven-day case rate per 100,000 members of the population at 350 or above.
Communities may move down in risk category following two consecutive weeks of meeting the lower tier's criteria. In this case, the county would need to show a seven-day PCR positivity rate between 10-14 percent and a seven-day case rate per 100,000 members of the population between 100-349.
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 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.
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 in Missouri and what can be done on an individual level to help stop the spread, visit oneforallmo.com. Additional information about COVID-19 can be found at health.mo.gov/coronavirus or 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.