COVID-19 Archives - Missourinet

Christmas tree from rural southeast Missouri to be displayed on Governor’s Mansion lawn in Jefferson City

November 23, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Christmas tree that will be displayed on the Governor’s Mansion lawn this year will be from a small town in southeast Missouri.

Missouri Office of Administration (OA) staff help install the Governor’s Mansion lawn Christmas tree in Jefferson City on December 2, 2019 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Governor Mike Parson says the tree that will be displayed on the Mansion lawn is a 40-foot Norway spruce donated by Doris Baker, who’s from southeast Missouri’s Desloge. It’s a town of about 5,000 residents, near Farmington.

Ms. Baker has donated her tree because it became too large for her yard.

The tree will arrive in Jefferson City on Monday morning between 7 and 8, and it’s so big that part of Madison Street outside the mansion will be closed, when it arrives.

Missouri Office of Administration (OA) staff will install the Mansion lawn tree.

The governor’s office has also announced that the annual lighting of the tree will take place on Friday December 4, at 6 p.m. That will be followed by candlelight tours that evening until 8. This year’s candlelight tours will be by reservation-only, due to COVID concerns.

Governor Parson’s office says it will announce additional details about the tours early next week.

Mercy Springfield nurse says they’re running out of room for COVID and acute patients

November 23, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

(Missourinet Springfield television partner KOLR-10 contributed to this story)

Springfield’s mayor and hospital leaders and employees there are renewing their call for a statewide mask mandate. They held a Friday afternoon press conference.

The Missouri National Guard assists at a COVID-19 testing site in Callaway County on November 17, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Mayor Ken McClure, a Republican who served as chief of staff to former Governor Matt Blunt, says that while guidelines are fine, people are not following them.

Mercy Hospital Springfield registered nurse Wanda Brown agrees, saying Springfield hospitals are overwhelmed.

“At Mercy Springfield, we now have four COVID units, one of which is our dedicated COVID ICU. All of our units are continually full and are becoming overwhelmed,” Brown tells reporters.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says there are currently 2,817 COVID patients in Missouri hospitals, an increase of 83 from Friday. DHSS says 646 of those COVID patients are in the ICU, and 336 are on ventilators.

DHSS says there have been 24,570 new COVID cases in the past week, an average of 3,510 per day.

Ms. Brown says Mercy Springfield is running out of room for both COVID and acute patients.

“I know we have all heard statements made of how hospitals are not overwhelmed, and our ICU’s are not full. But this is untrue and it is misleading and I think it provides a false sense of security for our community,” says Brown.

Missourinet Springfield television partner KOLR-10 reports CoxHealth leaders also spoke at Friday’s press conference. You can read KOLR-10’s story here.

As for Governor Mike Parson, he told Missourinet last week that while he’s opposed to a mask mandate, he has and continues to urge you to wear a mask. He’s been promoting a program called the “Show Me You Care” campaign, which emphasizes the need for you to wear a mask, to wash your hands, practice good hygiene and to social distance.

During that interview with Missourinet, Governor Parson emphasized that the next 30 to 60 days are crucial. His administration has issued a statewide public health warning, due to the spread of COVID across the state.

Missouri is averaging 3,908 new COVID cases per day; public health warning issued

November 20, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Parson administration has issued a statewide public health warning, due to the continued increase in new COVID cases statewide.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says there are currently 2,588 COVID patients in Missouri hospitals, an increase of 135 in the past 24 hours. 608 of those patients are in the ICU and 310 are on ventilators.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (right) visits a COVID-19 testing site in mid-Missouri’s Fulton on November 17, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

DHSS says there have been 27,358 new COVID cases in Missouri in the past week, an average of 3,908 new cases per day.

The department has also issued a holiday travel advisory, urging you to minimize travel outside of Missouri and to wear a mask.

Missouri’s governor reiterates opposition to statewide mask mandate; promotes Show Me You Care campaign (AUDIO)

November 18, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor has been using stops this week to tout a program called the “Show Me You Care” campaign, which emphasizes the need for you to wear a mask, practice good hygiene and to social distance.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on November 12, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Governor Mike Parson says everyone must step up to stop the spread of COVID.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says there have been 30,049 new COVID cases in the past week, an average of 4,293 cases per day. There have also been 62 new deaths during that timeframe.

Missourinet spoke to Governor Parson Tuesday, after he spoke at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $23 million terminal at Columbia Regional Airport (COU). The governor is emphasizing the need for everyone to “step up” to battle COVID.

“I think everybody has got a little virus fatigue over nine months, but the reality of it, it’s a different time today,” Parson says. “We’re seeing these cases go at a pretty fast pace here. Everybody has got to do their part.”

The governor is also emphasizing the importance of washing your hands and avoiding large gatherings. He also says rural Missouri must step up, saying that the increasing COVID numbers statewide are concerning.

DHSS says there are currently 2,453 COVID patients in Missouri hospitals, including 582 in the ICU and 298 on ventilators.

Governor Parson says the next 30 to 60 days is crucial. Missourinet asked the governor on Tuesday about the Missouri Hospital Association’s renewed call for him to issue a statewide mask mandate.

“From day one I’ve recommended that people wear a mask, but I’m not going to mandate that for the state of Missouri. I’ve answered that question numerous times and that hasn’t changed any. People … again, I’m a fan of local control. I think that’s where it needs to be,” says Parson.

The governor has maintained that position throughout the pandemic, saying that he’s not anti-mask but is anti-mandate.

State Rep. Martha Stevens, D-Columbia, the ranking Democrat on the House Special Committee on Aging, called for a statewide mask mandate again on Wednesday.

“Our frontline workers and communities are looking for leadership as things get worse and worse across Missouri,” Representative Stevens tweeted.

Governor Parson and DHSS Director Dr. Randall Williams will brief Capitol reporters on Thursday morning at 9 in Jefferson City.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri Governor Mike Parson, which was recorded on November 17, 2020 at Columbia Regional Airport:

Look for Missouri Senate to vote on $1.27 billion supplemental next week (AUDIO)

November 13, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Senate is expected to debate and vote on the proposed $1.27 billion supplemental budget next Thursday and Friday. That’s according to Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia.

Missouri House Majority Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, (left) speaks to House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, in the House chamber in Jefferson City on November 10, 2020 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The House gave final approval to the supplemental budget this week, with a bipartisan 133-4 vote. That pleases House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage.

“It (the budget) was more of a what I call ‘keep the trains running on time supplemental budget bill.’ The deployment of federal resources across a variety of state departments is mostly what the bill was about,” Smith says.

He says the budget also provides more authority to spend federal dollars on personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing. Chairman Smith says it also addresses Missouri’s unemployment fund shortage.

“Our plans for unemployment program ran short with higher than expected unemployment,” says Smith.

If the Senate approves the supplemental budget as is, it would head straight to the governor’s desk. If changes are made by the Senate, the budget would head to a Senate-House conference committee.

Smith is hopeful the Senate will send it to Governor Parson’s desk, saying he doesn’t expect it to be controversial in the upper chamber.

Meantime, the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says there have been 25,961 new COVID cases in Missouri in the past seven days, along with 63 new deaths in the past week.

State Rep. Jon Carpenter, D-Gladstone, a senior Democrat in the Missouri House, addressed the issue on the floor this week. He’s warning his colleagues that COVID hospitalizations are skyrocketing in the Midwest.

“We now have twice as many people getting infected with coronavirus in our region (the Midwest) than any other region in this country at any point during the pandemic,” Carpenter says.

During his House floor speech, Carpenter called on the Parson administration to address the pandemic itself and to use some of the $1.2 billion supplemental to address economic hardships, school hardships and food hardships in Missouri.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, which was recorded on November 10, 2020 at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City:

Thousands of unemployed Missourians sign up for free online classes

November 11, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

In July, the state partnered with a company called Coursera to begin offering free online courses to Missourians unemployed as a result of COVID-19. The state Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development tells Missourinet about 2,300 individuals have registered and about 471 people have completed at least one course so far.

Thousands of unemployed Missourians sign up for free online classes

Through the partnership, the students can choose from more than 3,800 free classes in business, technology, and data science. They can also earn professional certificates from leading companies like IBM and Google that are designed to prepare people for entry-level careers like IT.

“I truly believe education changes lives,” said Zora Mulligan, commissioner of higher education. “Coursera provides another avenue for Missourians to learn new, marketable skills and, even during this period of economic uncertainty, advance their careers.”

Anyone who was registered by the October 31 deadline has until the end of this year to complete courses for free.

Missouri education official calls substitute teacher shortage a crisis

November 10, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri schools continue to struggle with having enough teachers available to educate students in traditional classrooms this year. The Show-Me State has had a chronic problem with teacher shortages, but COVID-19 has made that can of worms open even more.

Missouri education official calls substitute teacher shortage a crisis

Many of the state’s 70,000 pre-k through 12 teachers are going above and beyond this year to reach their students in the classroom and at home. Some schools have been forced to move to online learning if they lack enough educators. Teachers are giving up their planning time to pitch in and help in other parts of their school. Students are sometimes getting shuffled into other classrooms because their teacher is absent.

According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) website, about 81,000 students are currently getting in-seat instruction. About 139,000 are learning online only. Another 658,000 are doing a combination of the two. None of Missouri’s roughly 551 school districts and charter schools are closed due to COVID-19.

In September, DESE launched an online training program that can fast track candidates to become K-12 substitute teachers. The temporary effort is meant to help fill the gaps in teacher shortages during the pandemic.

More than 2,700 Missourians have enrolled in the program so far and about 700 are currently subbing. Dr. Paul Katnik is the assistant commissioner of the Office of Educator Quality at DESE. During a state Board of Education meeting today, Katnik says people in every region of the state have signed up.

“We started the entire program on September 2. We were issuing our first certificate on September 9,” he says. “People can get this done in a week if they’ve got everything turned in and they get their training done right away. I can tell you there’s other people that haven’t moved along quite that quickly.”

Despite the volume of participation, the need for more subs still exists. Just ask Missouri Board of Education member Mary Schrag of southern Missouri’s West Plains.

“I just think we’re just really struggling still to get subs in these very small towns where we have really limited numbers of individuals who would probably be able to sub and be successful,” she says. “I think in the more urban areas, they are more populous. There’s just more people to tap into in the first place.”

Substitute teacher certifications have also taken a plunge since March. The range has been anywhere from 16% to 72% compared to last year. Certifications began to turn the corner a bit last month but Katnik says the substitute teacher shortage is still very real.

“It was a problem before the pandemic. It’s certainly a crisis now,” he says.

Katnik says the rate at which schools are not filling substitute teacher jobs has, in turn, grown during the pandemic.

“The typical fill rates for substitutes are upwards of 80% in a normal year. Meaning if I need ten subs, I usually get eight out of the ten,” says Katnik. “But we’re hearing fill rates now being 50% and less, which means I can’t even fill half.”

The cost for the full set of substitute training courses required to meet certification is $175. The online program is available on the Missouri Department Elementary and Secondary Education’s website.

White House report: 91% of Missouri counties have moderate to high levels of COVID-19 transmission

November 5, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The latest White House Coronavirus Task Force reports says Missouri has the tenth highest rate of positive COVID-19 cases in the country. The report, dated November 1, says 91% of all Missouri counties have moderate to high levels of community transmission, with 76% having high levels.

White House report: 91% of Missouri counties have moderate to high levels of COVID-19 transmission

On Wednesday, Missouri reported 2,600 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the state’s overall case count to more than 193,000. The state also reported another 24 people dying from the virus – boosting the death toll to more than 3,000.

The report’s recommendations for Missouri include weekly testing of all college students, limiting restaurant indoor capacity to less than 50% and restricting hours until cases decline. Other suggestions are always wear a mask in public places, do not gather without a mask with individuals living outside your household and stop gatherings beyond your immediate household until cases decline significantly.

Gov. Mike Parson is leaving it up to local leaders to decide whether to require masks in public.

To view the report, obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, click here.

Boo’s — and don’ts — of Trick or Treating traditions this year

October 30, 2020 By Ashley Byrd

Halloween should be scary—in a fun way—and yet stay safe, say county public health officials.

Spooky decorations are a safe way to celebrate — and scare!

The pandemic is still spreading in Missouri and Shelby County Health Director Audrey Gough says in her 34 years in public health this is the first time she’s had to issue safety measures for Trick or Treating.

Missouri’s seven-day average of new cases (up to Oct 27) was 13,158, with 14 deaths daily in that period. Missouri COVID-19 Dashboard

Gough cautions older people who enjoy having costumed kiddos come by to participate by not coming into direct contact with small children or their families who might have symptoms. SHe says leave individually wrapped treat bags of candy away from the front door, even at the end of a driveway.

A shared bowl can be a germ spreader—especially with colder weather and kids with runny noses.

Gough says use germ protection when eating the treats too.

“As soon as they get home from Trick or Treating, go straight to the bathroom and wash their hands with soap and water. Make every effort to have clean hands before you start handling candy in the bag. I know there’s kids that are going to eat candy along the way. We would just encourage mom and dad just to put hand sanitizer in their pockets and use it before they actually open up something and eat it.”

She says when it comes to holiday traditions, communication is most important during this pandemic.

“Make plans and feelings known about how they want to do things. You’re going to have families who are still going to gather and just take their chances and then there are people who are extremely cautious and want to make sure they don’t provide an opportunity to spread. Making those thoughts and wishes ahead of time where people can still enjoy being together without being on pins and needles.”

The state’s public health professionals in One For All Missouri shared this checklist:

There are ways to celebrate safely – so you don’t put yourself or others at risk.
- DO trick-or-treat in your house or yard.
- DO organize a physically distanced costume parade in your neighborhood.
- DO leave individually wrapped treat bags of candy at the end of your driveway.
- DO incorporate a face mask in your costume, instead of letting a Halloween mask suffice
- DO have a physically distanced outdoor gathering with a small group.
- DO follow best practices for stopping the spread of COVID-19.
  - Pre-package candy in bags for trick-or-treaters, instead of a shared bowl.
  - Wear a mask if you open your door to trick-or-treaters.
  - Wash your hands before eating any candy.

The American Red Cross of Central & Northern Missouri also published a list of Halloween high-risk activities:

Having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots
Attending crowded indoor costume parties
Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming
Going on hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household
Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgment and increase risky behaviors
Traveling to a fall festival that is not in your community if you live in an area with a community spread of COVID-19

Missouri’s largest hospitals feeling COVID-19 strain from rural areas

October 30, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Some of Missouri’s largest hospitals are getting an increased number of COVID-19 patients from rural communities. During a briefing Thursday in Springfield, Gov. Mike Parson says he met with CoxHealth in Springfield to talk about some of the challenges the southwest Missouri hospital is facing.

Gov. Mike Parson

“Areas like Springfield are seeing a lot of patients transferred in from smaller hospitals and surrounding communities – putting additional stress on systems like Cox,” says Parson. “During our meeting, we talked about empowering rural hospitals and equipping them with the tools to care for more COVID-19 patients, which would help relieve some of the stress on our largest hospitals. We are looking into ways that we might do this.”

According to Kansas City Public Radio, Kansas City area hospital leaders say admissions there are reaching near all-time highs because of patients coming from rural areas. In the past two weeks, some hospitals in that region have had to stop accepting ambulances and patient transfers from other places for periods of time due to capacity problems.

A Kansas City area hospital nurse says many rural area COVID-19 patients are arriving in critical condition because they did not receive adequate treatment early on in their community. Around 68% of Missouri counties lack intensive care units. Many rural counties don’t even have a hospital, let alone an ICU.

KCUR says Missouri has the eighth highest number of hospitalized patients in the country. About 1,500 individuals with the virus are being treated in a Missouri hospital.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Service’s COVID-19 dashboard, Northwest Missouri’s remaining hospital bed capacity is at 28%. As for the Kansas City region, the state says it has about 39% of its beds available. The number of intensive care unit beds available statewide ranges from 28% to 41%, state data says.