O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Experts in all corners of Missouri are seeing room for optimism in the fight against the coronavirus thanks to a decline in new cases, decreasing hospitalizations and other factors.
The state health department on Tuesday reported 1,079 new confirmed cases and 133 new deaths, though 103 of those deaths occurred previously but were unreported until the state's weekly examination of death certificates. Missouri has now cited 451,493 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 6,686 deaths since the pandemic began last winter.
But evidence suggests that the post-holiday spike is over and things are improving. The seven-day average for new cases reported Tuesday was 27.2% lower than the previous seven-day average, according to the state's COVID-19 dashboard.
Hospitalizations remain high, but are declining. Dr. Alex Garza of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said the improvements are especially noteworthy given the time of year.
“The fact that this is happening in the winter when respiratory viruses typically spread the most shows us just how effective all the preventative measures actually are when we use them,” Garza said.
Other parts of the state are seeing improvement too.
The Kansas City Star reported that the Kansas City region added 382 new cases on Monday, the lowest total in nearly three months. The region includes parts of Kansas as well as Missouri.
The seven-day average for the region was 580 cases, down from 1,005 just two weeks ago.
Joplin officials also were boasting better numbers, including a big decline in hospitalizations. The Joplin Globe reported that 49 people were hospitalized with the virus in Joplin on Monday, down from 105 just weeks ago.
Officials caution it is too early to ease up on things like social distancing, and that would potentially include a parade if the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl. The Chiefs will go for their second straight title when they play Tampa Bay on Feb. 7.
Meanwhile, at least two state senators are quarantining after being exposed to Sen. Andrew Koenig and another unnamed lawmaker or staffer who tested positive for COVID-19. Seven lawmakers confirmed to The Associated Press that they have been sickened by the virus since the beginning of the session this month.