ST. LOUIS (AP) — The number of people being treated for COVID-19 across Missouri continues to set records as virus cases surge across the state and strain hospital capacity.
The state Department of Health and Senior Services said 3,235 people were hospitalized with the virus statewide and about 15% of the state’s hospital beds remained available. That number just topped 2,900 for the first time on Friday and exceeded the record of 2,862 set in December 2020.
Statewide, the seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases hit a record Saturday at 7,058 cases before declining to 6,983 on Sunday.
In the St. Louis area, that city’s Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said 1,283 people were being treated for COVID-19 at area hospitals Sunday. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that was the seventh day in a row that the number hit a new record.
An average of 226 people a day have been admitted to St. Louis area hospitals with COVID-19 each day over the past week, up from 193 on Saturday. The Metropolitan Task Force includes BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health and St. Luke’s Hospital.
A total of 13,318 deaths and 891,287 virus cases have been reported in the state since the pandemic began.
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