ST. LOUIS — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for a second consecutive day Tuesday as hospitalizations trended down in the state and in the St. Louis area.
The department reported 95,113 cases and 1,661 deaths, an increase of 773 cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours.
Tuesday's increase was 133 fewer than Sunday and 285 fewer than last Tuesday. Before Monday, the department had reported 12 consecutive days of more than 1,000 newly confirmed cases, the longest such streak of the pandemic.
The department reported a total of 1,061,230 PCR — or polymerase chain reaction — tests Tuesday, an increase of 6,845 tests in the last 24 hours. The state's positivity rate increased from 8.95% on Monday to 8.96% on Tuesday. According to the department's dashboard, the positivity rate for the last seven days was 13.8%.
On Tuesday, the state reported 893 COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state, down from 950 hospitalizations reported Monday. The number of hospitalizations is delayed by 72 hours to ensure accuracy, so the number reported Tuesday represents hospitalizations on Sept. 5.
In the St. Louis area, the seven-day averages for new COVID-19 admissions and confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations have trended down for the last four days.
- New hospital admissions (data lagged two days) decreased – from 33* yesterday to 28 today.
- The seven-day moving average of hospital admissions (data lagged two days) decreased – from 36 yesterday to 35 today.
- The seven-day moving average of hospitalizations decreased – from 288 yesterday to 284 today.
- Inpatient confirmed COVID positive hospitalizations increased – from 276 yesterday to 286 today.
- Inpatient suspected COVID positive hospitalizations decreased 113 yesterday to 81 today.
- The number of confirmed COVID positive patients in the ICUs remained the same today at 78.
- The number of confirmed COVID positive patients on ventilators decreased – from 53 yesterday to 51 today.
- Across the system hospitals, 27 COVID-19 patients were discharged yesterday, bringing the cumulative number of COVID-19 patients discharged to 5,453.
*Monday’s hospital admissions number has been adjusted due to a delay in test results. It was adjusted from 32 admissions to 33 admissions, which did not change the seven-day rolling average. All other data from the Labor Day holiday has been confirmed and did not change.
In St. Louis County, there were 104 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths Tuesday, bringing the totals in the county to 20,839 cases and 760 deaths.
In St. Louis, there were 13 newly reported COVID-19 cases and no new deaths Tuesday, bringing the totals in the city to 6,355 cases 195 deaths.
In St. Charles County, there were 116 new COVID-19 cases and one new death Tuesday, bringing the totals in the county to 6,319 cases and 113 deaths.
The Jefferson County Health Department said there were 3,248 cases and 49 deaths in the county as of Tuesday. The department said 276 of those deaths are considered probable.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is reporting slightly different numbers for Jefferson County. According to the Missouri DHSS, the county has 3,146 confirmed COVID-19 cases, up 37 from Sunday. The graph below uses Missouri DHSS data.