JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s death toll from the coronavirus rose sharply Tuesday, when the state announced 161 new fatalities.
One county alone reported 27 deaths over the past two days. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department cited 19 deaths Monday and eight more Tuesday. All but four of the victims were 70 or older, 17 lived in long-term care facilities and all had underlying health conditions.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said the agency analyzed several death certificates and determined that 137 that had not been previously reported were due to COVID-19. One of those deaths was in August, 11 were in October and 125 were in November.
But deaths have spiked this month, too. Greene County officials said 51 of the county's 247 COVID-19 deaths have happened since Dec. 1.
"The stark and sobering reality is that we are losing people in our community daily to this virus. We must all act with responsible empathy and be willing to make small sacrifices now so that our community can finish strong. We need to do everything we can to prevent the spread of this illness, especially for those most vulnerable,” the county's health director, Clay Goddard, said in a news release.
The state's daily update showed a worsening crunch for Missouri hospitals, especially for the most critically ill. The state said just 17% of intensive care unit beds are available. In the northeast and southwestern parts of the state, ICU bed capacity was down to 7%. ICU bed capacity was at 17% in Kansas City and 16% in St. Louis.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported 911 COVID-19 hospitalizations Tuesday, up from 894 on Monday. The task force said there were 11 new COVID-19 deaths in task force hospitals. The seven-day average of deaths was 20.
The task force also said ICU capacity is at 90%, higher than what the state's health department reported.
RELATED: Approximately 20 people per day dying in area hospitals, St. Louis pandemic task force says
The following data are the combined figures from the four major health systems (BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health, St. Luke’s Hospital) that are part of the task force, for December 8.
- New hospital admissions (data lagged two days) increased from 95* yesterday to 104 today.
- The seven-day moving average of hospital admissions (data lagged two days) decreased - from 115* yesterday to 113 today.
- The seven-day moving average of hospitalizations decreased from 903 yesterday to 895 today.
- Inpatient confirmed COVID positive hospitalizations increased – from 894 yesterday to 911 today.
- Inpatient suspected COVID positive hospitalizations increased – from 80 yesterday to 108 today.
- The number of confirmed COVID positive patients in the ICUs increased – from 187 yesterday to 189 today.
- The number of confirmed COVID positive patients on ventilators increased – from 117 yesterday to 118 today.
- The number of COVID deaths decreased – from 24 yesterday to 11 today.
- The seven-day moving average of COVID deaths decreased – from 21 yesterday to 20 today.
- Across the system hospitals, 146 COVID-19 patients were discharged to home yesterday, bringing the cumulative number of COVID-19 patients discharged to 11,814.
- Today, staffed bed hospital capacity is at 83%, an average across our task force hospitals. The ICU’s are at 90% of their total staffed bed capacity.
*Due to a delay in test results, Monday’s admissions data climbed from 81 yesterday to 95 today, increasing the seven-day moving average from 113 to 115.
But in a Facebook posting on Tuesday, Republican Gov. Mike Parson sought to calm any fears about running out of bed space.
“I want ALL Missourians to know that if you are sick, we will take care of you,” the governor wrote, adding that the biggest concern isn't bed space but staffing.
To address the staffing shortage, the state last week announced a partnership with the private health care company Vizient that will recruit up to 760 more health care workers.
With hospitalizations and deaths rising, the Truman Veterans Administration Hospital in Columbia acquired a portable morgue unit. Spokesman Jeff Hoelscher told KRCG-TV that the portable unit, which sits on wheels and looks like a large trailer, has not yet been needed.
All told, 4,355 Missouri deaths from the virus have been confirmed by the state. The total number of confirmed cases grew by 3,250 on Tuesday to 328,206.
In Jefferson City, the school district mourned the death of high school paraprofessional James Coy. Coy, 71, died Thursday. He had worked for the district for a decade. A news release said Coy was known for “loading up on everyone’s favorite bubblegum flavors and getting extra desserts at lunch.”
The Missouri Department of Corrections is taking new steps to reduce the risk of infection at prisons and other facilities. It plans to install ionization generators aimed at killing airborne viruses, bacteria, mold, allergens and pollutants.
The department said it will install disinfectant sprayers that will use a mist to kill COVID-19 and other pathogens on contact. The department also said that since July it has been monitoring wastewater for COVID-19, an effort that can help signal where outbreaks may be starting.
Nearly 4,700 Missouri inmates and more than 1,800 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Thirty-six inmates have died from the virus, along with four staff members.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
