Seven coronavirus deaths reported in Cape, Scott counties

Area health officials reported seven COVID-19-related deaths Tuesday, the largest number of deaths reported in a single day since the pandemic began.

Officials with Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center reported six deaths from the disease associated with coronavirus. The additional deaths pushed the total number of county residents who have died from the virus to 40. The seventh fatality was in Scott County.

Officials reported 45 new virus cases Monday (12) and Tuesday (33). Roughly two out of every three new cases in the county are in Cape Girardeau, with the rest divided between Jackson and elsewhere in the county. Active virus cases dropped by 92 on Tuesday to 480.

Cases in the county’s long-term care facilities grew by 14 to 244, with 91 of those actives. Thus far in the pandemic, 27 county residents have died in such facilities.

Southeast Missouri State University reported six new cases, pushing its total to 335 (307 students and 28 employees). Eighty-nine active cases (77 students and 12 employees) were reported on campus. Those in on-campus isolation/quarantine totaled 45, down from the 70 noted Friday.

Scott County reported a steady stream of new cases in the past few days — Friday, 40; Saturday, 40; Sunday, 20; Monday, 25; and Tuesday, 25 — pushing the county’s total number of cases to 1,207, and officials reported the county’s 20th death linked to the disease. Nine hundred two county residents have recovered from the virus.

Elsewhere in Missouri, Perry County’s numbers increased by 44 from its last report, though the numbers included new cases for several days (820 total cases, 760 recoveries, seven deaths).

Stoddard County Public Health Center reported 83 new cases (832 total cases, 627 recoveries, 18 deaths).

No update was available from Bollinger County (523 total cases, 426 recoveries, one death).

Southern Seven Health Department in Illinois, as of Tuesday afternoon, had not updated its case numbers for Union County (601 total cases, 413 recoveries, 20 deaths) or Alexander County (94 total cases, 60 recoveries, one death).