Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center officials reported three new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total number of county residents testing positive for the disease to 19. Four county residents have recovered from the virus. Eleven of the victims, 56%, are male, following the trend of more males than females contracting the virus. More than a fourth of the victims, five, are in the 70-to-79 age range, and another three are 60 to 69...

To help maintain supplies of personal protective equipment, or PPE, many hospitals have begun seeking innovative approaches to engineering their own solutions to the challenges posed by the spreading coronavirus. In an effort to help find solutions, a team of engineers at Southeast Missouri State University used 3D printers to produce and deliver about 100 face shields to SoutheastHEALTH over the weekend, with more to follow to other facilities over the next few weeks...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission voted unanimously Monday to close playgrounds in the county parks “until further notice” to discourage children and parents from gathering at them during the COVID-19 pandemic. The action was taken at the recommendation of county parks superintendent Brian Sander and coincides with the start of a statewide “stay at home” order issued Friday by Gov. Mike Parson, which went into effect Monday...

Safe House for Women in Cape Girardeau is one of nine organizations statewide to receive a COVID-19 response grant from Community Foundation of the Ozarks, according to a recent news release. Jessica Hill, Safe House executive director, said the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund grant was opened quickly, and the Safe House was able to apply for funding right away...

No new COVID-19 cases were reported in Cape Girardeau County on Sunday. Total cases involving county residents remained at 16, though health care providers updated testing numbers. Saint Francis Medical Center reported seven positive cases, 201 negative results and 556 total tests administered...

Realtors Chelsea Dillick and Christina Essner decided they wanted to give back to the community, and in January, started Think SEMO. The group’s Facebook page was intended as a way to get more information to people looking for events or updates on what’s happening in the region...

O'FALLON, Mo. -- As Missouri lawmakers prepare to consider emergency funding in response to the coronavirus crisis, the state's budget director Monday offered more evidence of the pandemic's toll on the economy. Budget Director Dan Haug said net general revenue collections for March dropped 4.2% compared to March 2019. Even though there was no statewide stay-at-home order until Monday, several jurisdictions had already issued their own orders and restrictions were placed on gathering sizes...

One Cape Girardeau physician has coined a term to describe the pandemic turning the world upside down. “It’s coronageddon,” said Lori Moyers, D.O., with Riverside Family Medicine. “We normally see 30 patients face-to-face every day,” said Dr. Moyers, whose practice includes three physicians and a nurse practitioner...

Faith. It’s what prompted respiratory therapist Amber Morgan to board a flight to New York City as a medical volunteer in the COVID-19 pandemic. As New York city reported almost 65,000 cases and close to 2,500 deaths as of Sunday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency sent hundreds of medical professionals to the city to assist the more than 14,000 hospitalized with COVID-19. Morgan of Jackson was one of those medical professionals...

When restaurants were ordered to close their dining areas last month, Tim Stearns at TJ's Burgers, Wings and Pizza in Fruitland had a choice. He could either lay off some of his employees or try to find a way to keep them working as much as he could...

Every day since Chan's Restaurant closed last month, Yang Shao and her husband, Bi Xing Liu, spend a few hours cleaning the restaurant so it's ready when customers are able to visit the restaurant once more. On March 20, the couple decided to close Chan's doors to the public temporarily to protect customers from the spread of COVID-19. While it wasn't an easy decision, Shao said it was essential to preserving the health of the community...

A new survey from the National Federation of Independent Business has found nearly all small businesses in America are being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and half of them say they'll shut down in less than two months unless they receive financial assistance...