Two more deaths attributed to virus
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Coronavirus Cancellations
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Two more Nodaway County deaths from COVID-19 were reported since the last update in this newspaper, while the total case count has risen to over 2,000.
Because of the holiday, the information for this week’s update includes data from Nov. 23-Nov. 30, the latest available at the print deadline.
Over that period, the deaths of a man in his 60s and a woman her 50s were reported by the health department, bringing the county’s total deaths connected to COVID-19 to 13.
The 7-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases per day has dropped further to 18, down from 24 in last week’s newspaper update, and down from a high of 33 on Nov. 14 and 15.
As of Wednesday, the health department has reported 1,779 confirmed cases and 258 probable cases of COVID-19 for a total of 2,037. There are 238 active cases in the county.
Nearly 1 in 10 Nodaway County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the online COVID-19 dashboard.
According to the health department’s released data, the share of cases driven by younger age groups plummeted compared to previous reporting periods, likely because of the end of in-person fall semester classes at Northwest Missouri State University on Nov. 24, but also because of a sharp increase in cases in older age groups.
Since the last update in this newspaper, 40 new cases were reported among ages 10-29, and 40 new cases were reported in ages 70 and up. More than 44 percent of new cases over the past 8 days were found in people age 50 or older. The age breakdown over that period is as follows:
- 0-9: 3
- 10-19: 13
- 20-29: 27
- 30-39: 22
- 40-49: 18
- 50-59: 16
- 60-69: 10
- 70-79: 10
- 80-89: 17
- 90-99: 11
- 100-109: 2
Of the 2,037 confirmed and probable cases in the county, 1,786 have been released from isolation. Twelve are currently hospitalized, and 110 have been hospitalized overall.
County remains in highest risk category, City Hall closed
Last week, the Maryville Mayor Benjamin Lipiec signed an emergency order that tied mitigation measures within city limits to state guidelines and metrics.
As of data reported through Nov. 29 — the latest data available — through the state COVID-19 dashboard, the county’s 7-day positivity rate is 20.87 percent and its 7-day case rate per 100,000 population is 398.3. According to state guidelines, that keeps the county in the highest risk category, Category 1: Extreme Risk.
In order to move down to Category 2: Critical Risk, the county must maintain a 7-day positivity rate of under 15 percent and a 7-day case rate per 100,000 population of less than 350 for two consecutive weeks.
Last week, the city announced that City Hall would be closed to the public except by appointment. On Twitter, City Manager Greg McDanel said the move was to keep city services, like utility billing, from being impacted by a COVID-19 outbreak among the city’s more than 200 full-time and part-time employees.
Schools
At Northwest Missouri State University, the number of active cases has dropped to 24, down from 30 active cases 8 days ago, according to the online dashboard maintained by the university. The percent of total positive COVID-19 tests in Nodaway County that have come from Northwest students or employees is down to just over 36 percent, down from more than 43 percent three weeks ago.
The Maryville R-II school district has not provided public updates on the number of students or employees who have tested positive or been quarantined because of COVID-19 since Nov. 13, when 171 students were in quarantine.
Every other public school district in the county has denied multiple requests to consistently provide such information to the public.
