Virus cases on the rise in Cape, Scott Cos.

COVID-19 cases have grown at four times their recent rate in Cape Girardeau County in the last month.

The latest data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services shows 608 probable and confirmed cases in the county for the seven-day period ending Jan. 11. The county totaled 151 cases as of the Cape Girardeau County Health Center's COVID-19 update ending Dec. 15.

Cape Girardeau County averaged 87 cases per day during the latest reporting period. There were no new deaths.

The surge comes at a time when COVID-19 cases continue to rise rapidly across most of the United States, though officials say a peak of the omicron variant may be coming soon.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the current seven-day average of daily new cases is 782,766, a 33.2% increase from the previous week.

The total number of cases has also risen in Scott County in the past month.

"It's really increasing areawide, but it does seem like Scott County is probably leading the pack," Scott County Health Department administrator Barry Cook said.

The state's COVID-19 dashboard shows 418 total cases in Scott County for the latest seven-day reporting period.

In December, both Cape Girardeau and Scott County Health Departments stopped regular reporting of COVID-19 data.

Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center director Jane Wernsman said the state now provides a robust COVID-19 dashboard the state did not have at the start of the pandemic.

"In an effort to preserve public health resources and avoid duplicative efforts, we would like to point citizens to the state dashboard to obtain information about COVID-19 cases in Cape Girardeau County," the health department announced on social media last month.

Cook cited a letter Missouri General Eric Schmitt sent to local public health agencies and school districts as the reason why Scott County Health Department no longer gives public announcements on local Coronavirus data.

The letter demanded public health agencies to stop enforcing mask mandates and quarantine and health orders.

Find COVID-19 data on the Department of Health and Senior Services website at healthmo.gov. View data by county at healthmo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/data/public-health/health-metrics/county.php.