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Gov. Mike Parson with Jim Dumbauld, Senior Director for Logistics, Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities and Fleet, Quest Diagnostics and DHSS Director Randall Williams. Williams provides updated testing capability numbers and outlines the 4-part approach to COVID-19 testing in Missouri.
Total cases confirmed in Missouri: 10,142
Deaths: 542
Watch full briefing:
Missouri’s health director testified Tuesday in Jefferson City about the one presumptive positive result for coronavirus in the state. The case involves a college student who is from the St. Louis suburb of Ladue.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams prepares to testify before a joint legislative committee in Jefferson City on March 10, 2020 (Brian Hauswirth photo)
State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams testified before the Legislative Joint Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Awareness.
“That patient had, as (St. Louis County Executive) Sam Page has said, had done the right things,” Williams testifies. “She had come from a country which is one of our flagged countries, she had gotten symptomatic.”
Dr. Williams tells lawmakers that the woman called a hotline, got into care and become sicker, then was tested.
Governor Parson and County Executive Dr. Sam Page announced the St. Louis County case at a Saturday evening news conference in Clayton. The woman had recently traveled to Italy.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has not confirmed the St. Louis County case yet. Dr. Page told reporters Saturday that the case is highly likely to come back confirmed as positive.
President Trump signed the coronavirus emergency funding package, which contains about $9.9 million for Missouri. Dr. Williams tells lawmakers that the state has received the appropriation for the funding, but not the funding itself yet.
“Which (the funding) will be incredibly helpful,” Williams testifies. “I’ll cut to the chase, we do not plan to ask for GR (general revenue) funding, we think we have the funds to cover what we need.”
Williams testifies that DHSS is developing guidelines about how that $9.9 million will be spent.
Dr. Williams also testifies that about 35 to 40 tests have been done in Missouri for coronavirus. All of the others in Missouri have tested negative.
Former State Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, who is a physician, also testified before the committee on Tuesday.
He testified that Missouri lawmakers should be ready to dip into the state’s Rainy Day Fund. Schaaf also predicts coronavirus will impact Missouri prisons and hospitals.
Former Senator Schaaf is also calling on lawmakers to give Governor Parson the authority to release non-violent prisoners immediately. Schaaf works for a company that provides health care to Missouri inmates, and emphasizes he is not speaking for the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC). He also says he did not clear his remarks with the governor.
As for Dr. Williams, he reiterated Tuesday what he said last week to a House special committee: that he’s hoping for the best but preparing for the worst regarding the coronavirus.
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Dr. Randall Williams (courtesy Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services)
Missouri’s health director will testify Monday in Jefferson City before a newly-created state House committee related to the new coronavirus. House Speaker Elijah Haahr announced the formation of the committee Thursday, saying state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams has briefed his office on the state’s response plan to protect Missourians’ health. Speaker Haahr says that the more information Missourians have, the better equipped the state will be to mitigate the virus’ spread.
Williams said in an agency statement released today, “Prior to the national health emergency being declared on January 31, our incident management team from DHSS had already begun daily meetings (on Jan. 27) as part of our normal preparedness and response duties. Part of our responsibilities also includes being an effective liaison to local public health departments who were briefed last week in Jefferson City with the latest information from federal partners.”
This week, Williams traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with his counterparts from around the nation to discuss preparations across our country with the acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and the Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.”
“I am pleased that our efforts here in Missouri are strategically aligned with our federal and national partners.”
The Missouri State Public Health Laboratory has been approved by the CDC to begin providing testing. The test uses real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to detect the virus which causes COVID-19, and it can provide same-day results.
“Our Missouri team has been working to educate and collaborate with a robust network of response organizations including the State Emergency Management Agency, all 16 State departments, the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory, clinicians, local public health departments, medical associations, hospital associations, airports, school nurses, student health departments at colleges, and others to provide timely and accurate information in preparation for the possibility of a future positive case,” Dr. Williams also said in the press statement.
Missouri DHSS has established a website at www.health.mo.gov/coronavirus to provide information and links to resources and education material on COVID-19.
