Nearly 100 new coronavirus cases in Cape County

Nearly 100 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Cape Girardeau County over the past three days and the number of active cases in the county is close to an all-time high.

Meanwhile, health officials in Stoddard County reported the coronavirus-related death of a county resident early Monday morning.

Cape Girardeau County health officials reported an additional 36 positive cases of coronavirus Saturday, along with two probable cases. On Sunday, another 30 cases were recorded, followed by 33 more cases Monday, bringing the three-day total of additional cases to 99, plus two probable cases.

Since the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center started tracking coronavirus cases in March, there have been 1,291 confirmed cases and 79 probable cases, bringing Monday’s total number of COVID-19 cases in the county to 1,370. Of those, 1,090 have recovered while 265 remain active, up from 198 Thursday.

The total number of deaths in Cape Girardeau County attributed to COVID-19 has remained unchanged since two deaths were reported Friday, bringing the total to 15 over the past six months.

Most of the 33 new cases Monday are among Cape Girardeau city residents (20), 10 are Jackson residents, while the remaining three reside elsewhere in the county.

As of Monday, a total of 25 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized at Southeast Hospital and Saint Francis Medical Center. Of those, 13 are Cape Girardeau County residents, according to the Missouri Hospital Association.

“The majority of our confirmed cases are in the 20-29 year-old age group,” Cape Girardeau County emergency management director Mark Winkler reported to the County Commission on Monday. “And the most hospitalizations are in the 70-79 year-old group.”

Winkler also told the commissioners a request has been submitted to Missouri health authorities on behalf of the Missouri Veterans Home for “staffing assistance” and he expected additional requests for at least one or two other local nursing homes in the near future.

Southeast Missouri State University reported one additional COVID-19 case — a university employee — over the weekend. Since July 27, the university has reported 48 student cases (25 in August and 23 so far in September) and 12 cases among faculty and staff.

In Bollinger County, health authorities Monday reported 30 additional cases among county residents since Friday, bringing the county’s total of confirmed cases to 266, plus an additional 29 probable cases.

Meanwhile, in Scott County, the health department Monday said there have been 25 additional confirmed cases since Friday. That increased the county’s total of confirmed cases to 742. As of Monday, 606 Scott County residents had recovered from coronavirus.

The latest Stoddard County fatality was a resident of a nursing home in the county who died around 5 a.m. Monday at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.

“At this point we are experiencing multiple COVID-19 cases at a number of long-term care facilities throughout the county,” according to a statement on the Stoddard County Public Health Center’s Facebook page. “We are working with these facilities to monitor this situation and see that all guidelines established by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services are being followed.”

No update for Perry County was available as of late Monday afternoon. As of Friday, Perry County was reporting 514 confirmed cases, 36 probable cases, 465 recoveries and four coronavirus-related deaths.

In Southern Illinois, the Southern Seven Health Department on Monday reported 29 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday. They included four in Alexander County, two in Hardin County, six in Johnson County, five in Massac County (including one patient under 10 years of age and another between the ages of 10 and 19), one in Pope County (under age 5), two in Pulaski County and nine in Union County (including one between the ages of 10 and 19).