Area health officials report 5 virus deaths

Area health officials reported five COVID-19-related deaths Wednesday

Cape Girardeau County health officials reported three coronavirus-related virus deaths, pushing the county's pandemic death toll to 152.

Officials with the county's public health center said the deaths involved people in their 50s, 70s and 80s. They also reported 32 new confirmed virus cases and 23 new probable cases for a pandemic total of 12,476. Active virus cases in the county, though, fell by 69 to 251.

As of Wednesday, 47.2% of the county's residents had initiated a coronavirus vaccine regimen, while 42.3% had completed one.

Scott County health officials reported two virus deaths, involving people in their 40s and 50s. One hundred-five county residents have died because of the virus. They also reported 170 new virus cases since Friday. Total confirmed cases in the county reached 5,753 as of Wednesday, and there have been 909 total probable cases. As of Wednesday, there were 337 confirmed active cases in the county and 114 active probable cases.

Active virus cases again fell on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. As of Wednesday, there were 14 active cases (11 students and three employees) at the school, down from 16 the previous day. On-campus quarantine/isolation also fell, to one from three the previous day. Throughout the pandemic, the university has tallied 236 virus cases (215 students and 21 employees).

In Illinois, officials with Southern Seven Health Department reported three new virus cases each in Alexander (675 total cases, 14 active cases as of Wednesday, 11 deaths) and Union (2,942 total cases, 33 active cases as of Wednesday, 47 deaths) counties.