Four Cape County deaths linked to coronavirus

Cape Girardeau County’s COVID-19 report Thursday included four deaths, all at long-term care facilities in the county.

As case counts spiked in recent weeks, officials with the county’s Public Health Center have started including information in their regular updates about virus cases in the county’s long-term care facilities. As of Thursday, there have been a total of 174 virus cases in such facilities, 58 cases were active, and 21 deaths of county residents had involved patients in such facilities.

Overall, the county added 64 new cases of the disease associated with coronavirus Thursday, pushing the county’s total to more than 2,000 cases (2,052). Of the new cases, 46 were in Cape Girardeau, while 13 were in Jackson, and five were elsewhere in the county. Active cases in the county totaled 544 Thursday, an increase of 38 since Wednesday. Recoveries from the virus totaled 1,476 in the county, and 32 deaths have been attributed to it.

Southeast Missouri State University reported 267 total cases (246 students and 21 employees). The total is eight higher than the school’s previous day report. Of the total cases, 138 are active (128 students and 10 employees). Forty-seven people were in on-campus quarantine/isolation, an increase of two.

Elsewhere in Missouri, Scott County reported 45 new cases (978 total cases, 801 recoveries, 17 deaths).

Stoddard County reported 19 new cases (621 total cases, 486 recoveries, 18 deaths), and Bollinger County reported 13 new cases (465, 379, one death). No updated report was available from Perry County (725 total cases, 681 recoveries, seven deaths).

Southern Seven Health Department in Illinois reported four new cases in Union County (513 total cases, 401 recoveries, 20 deaths) and no new cases in Alexander County (85 total cases, 53 recoveries, one death).