Hospitalizations up 186% in outstate Missouri since June

(AP) The number of people hospitalized for the coronavirus has nearly tripled in areas outside of Missouri’s two largest metropolitan areas since the state reopened for business in mid-June. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ COVID-19 dashboard shows that the state’s northwest, southeast, southwest and central regions all reached record highs for virus-related hospitalizations on Monday, based on seven-day averages. Excluding the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, hospitalizations in Missouri have risen 186% in the 3½ months since Republican Gov. Mike Parson allowed the state to reopen on June 16.