New coronavirus cases, additional death reported Wednesday

County health officials reported about three dozen new COVID-19 cases and one additional death because of the virus in the region Wednesday.

Stoddard County Public Health Center reported the fatality, its 10th related to the disease associated with coronavirus. The county’s total number of cases increased by three Wednesday to 299, with 237 patients having recovered from the virus.

In Cape Girardeau County, officials with the county’s Public Health Center reported 17 new cases and 25 additional recoveries. The county’s total number of cases is 927, with 755 recoveries and eight deaths attributed to the virus. Of the new cases, 10 were in the City of Cape Girardeau, while three were in Jackson and four were elsewhere in the county.

Southeast Missouri State University accounted for two new cases Wednesday, pushing its total to 18 (13 students and five employees).

Cape Girardeau Public Health Center released a report Wednesday showing the county’s virus testing positivity rate has decreased throughout the month of August. In mid-July, when county officials implemented a countywide masking order, the positivity rate was just below 6%. Through the end of July, the rate hovered just above 6%. Through Aug. 20, the rate had declined to about 5.5%.

Positivity rates in area Missouri counties were: Cape Girardeau, 5.6%; Scott, 4.5%; Stoddard, 2.5%; Perry, 1.5%; and Bollinger, 1.1%.

Scott County authorities reported four new cases and 23 additional recoveries (589 total cases, 465 recoveries, 13 deaths)

No new update was available from Perry or Bollinger counties.

Southern Seven Health Department in Illinois reported 10 new cases in Union County (397 total cases, 321 recoveries, 20 deaths) but no new cases in Alexander County (40 total cases, 37 recoveries, zero deaths) on Wednesday.