Missouri COVID-19 Update

Within the next seven days, the state of Missouri will record its 200,000 confirmed case of coronavirus since the pandemic reached the state in the first week of March. As of this morning, the Missouri Department of Health reported just over 193,000 cases of the disease. About half of the area's counties remain in the top 10 for positivity rate in southwest Missouri. Newton County continues to lead the state with a 25 percent positive rate, meeting that for every 100 Newton County residents that get tested for COVID-19, 25 are testing positive, regardless if they are showing symptoms or asymptomatic. Jasper County is in a tie for third in positivity rate with two other counties in Missouri, with a 22 percent positivity rate. McDonald's, Barton counties are also in the top 10. In the past week, over 17,000 Missouri residents have tested positive for coronavirus, and 88 residents have died from complications of the disease. For KRPS, I'm Fred Fletcher Fierro in Web City.