28 COVID-19 Cases In Missouri, First Death In Boone County

MISSOURI — The first person has died in Missouri from the new coronavirus, state health officials said Wednesday.

The death was a person in Boone County who was taken to University Hospital in Columbia after his or her family called 911 Wednesday morning, according to local officials. Half a dozen emergency workers are being quarantined after their exposure to the patient. The case was related to travel, local health officials said.

Twenty-eight people have now tested positive for the virus in the state, including cases in Boone, Cass, Christian, Cole, Henry, Jackson, Greene and St. Louis counties, and St. Louis City. So far, 330 people have been tested across Missouri.

Nationally, cases have almost tripled in three days. There are now more than 14,000 cases in the United States, according to state and federal health officials, and 217 people have died, as of Friday morning.

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Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called SARS-Cov-2, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19, the illness caused by SARS-Cov-2, struck the U.S. on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now being spread from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

For more information, or if you develop upper respiratory symptoms, including cough or shortness of breath, or a fever over 100.4 degrees, call the state's 24-hour hotline at 877-435-8411 or visit the state's COVID-19 website. St. Louis County residents can also visit stlcorona.com or call the county's coronavirus hotline at 314-615-2660. City residents can call the St. Louis City Department of Health at 314-657-1499, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or visit the city's coronavirus website.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.