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As COVID-19 continues to spread, KOMU 8 will continue to update you about impacts in the community.
You can find an active map of confirmed COVID-19 cases county by county here, COVID-19 cases in Missouri broken down by county.
Previous coverage:
Updates for Friday, July 31 will become available below:
4:30 p.m.: Boone County reports 28 new COVID-19 cases
The update brings the number of total cases in the county to 1,174. Of these, 187 are active.
2 p.m.: Missouri reports 1,489 new cases of COVID-19
Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services has reported an additional 1,489 cases of COVID-19. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 50,323. Statewide, 1,243 people have died from the virus.
11:30 a.m.: Boone County reports its fourth COVID-19 death
We regret to report that Boone County has recorded a fourth COVID-19 death. The individual was in the over 80 age group. The Information Hub will be updated with this information around 4 p.m. today.
— Columbia/Boone Co. Public Health & Human Services (@CoMo_HealthDept) July 31, 2020
11:00 a.m.: Boone County weekly case positivity rate up slightly
The positivity rate for COVID-19 in Boone County is 7.7% for the seven day period of 07/24-07/30. This is a slight increase from the 7.1% positivity rate reported the previous week (previously reported as 7.2% but was adjusted after cases were reassigned to other counties). /1 pic.twitter.com/L1B9XTC3Q7
— Columbia/Boone Co. Public Health & Human Services (@CoMo_HealthDept) July 31, 2020
10:30 a.m.: MU Health to consolidate drive-thru testing locations
MU Health Care is closing its drive-thru testing location for COVID-19 near the Mizzou softball stadium. It will start to conduct all drive-thru testing at the Mizzou North location.
Mizzou North is located at 115 Business Loop 70 West in Columbia.
The transition will start Monday, August 3, according to a news release. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
“Those who test positive for COVID-19 will receive a phone call, usually within 24-48 hours,” the release said. “Negative test results will be available through the HealthConnect portal within 72 hours.”
The original testing site opened in the Mizzou softball stadium parking lot on March 18. Then, the second site at Mizzou North opened July 13 to decrease wait times during a spike in demand for testing, the release said.
For more details about these additional services and information regarding COVID-19, visit muhealth.org/coronavirus.
5:30 a.m.: (AP) Fauci to tell House panel ‘unclear’ how long pandemic lasts
WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s no end in sight to the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top government health experts will tell Congress on Friday.
“While it remains unclear how long the pandemic will last, COVID-19 activity will likely continue for some time,” Fauci, along with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Dr. Robert Redfield and Health and Human Services testing czar Adm. Brett Giroir say in prepared testimony for a special House panel investigating the pandemic.
At a time when early progress seems to have been lost and uncertainty clouds the nation’s path forward, Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, is calling on lawmakers — and all other Americans — to go back to public health basics such as social distancing and wearing masks.
The panel, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, is divided about how to reopen schools and businesses, mirroring divisions among Americans.
A rebound of cases across the South and the West has dashed hopes for a quick return to normal life. Problems with the availability and timeliness of testing continue to be reported. And the race for a vaccine, though progressing rapidly, has yet to deliver a breakthrough.
Fauci’s public message in recent days has been that Americans can’t afford a devil-may-care attitude toward COVID-19 and need to double down on basic measures such as wearing masks in public, keeping their distance from others and avoiding crowds and indoor spaces such as bars.
