UPDATE: 3 Mid-Missouri counties confirm new COVID-19 deaths

October 6, 2020 at 12:37 a.m. | Updated October 6, 2020 at 9:56 a.m.

FILE - This electron microscope image made available and color-enhanced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Md., in 2020, shows Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, orange, isolated from a patient. One of COVID-19's scariest mysteries is why some people are mildly ill or have no symptoms and others rapidly die — and scientists are starting to unravel why. (NIAID/National Institutes of Health via AP)
FILE - This electron microscope image made available and color-enhanced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Md., in 2020, shows Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, orange, isolated from a patient. One of COVID-19's scariest mysteries is why some people are mildly ill or have no symptoms and others rapidly die — and scientists are starting to unravel why. (NIAID/National Institutes of Health via AP)

The News Tribune is offering this article free to all readers because it includes information important to the health and safety of our community.

Cole, Miller and Osage counties have confirmed new deaths related to COVID-19.

The deaths reported Monday - one in each county - marked the 15th COVID-19-related death in Cole County, the eighth in Miller County and the second in Osage County.

The Cole County Health Department, Miller County Health Center and Osage County Health Department did not release further information about those who died.

As of Monday, Cole County has reported 1,716 total COVID-19 cases, with 142 remaining active as of Monday, although the Cole County Health Department does not publicly report the number of active cases and recoveries in long-term care facilities. Seven of the COVID-19 deaths among Cole County residents have been among long-term care facility residents.

The total number of COVID-19 cases reported in Miller County since the pandemic began is 589, of which 71 remain active.

A total of 207 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Osage County, with 60 remaining active, according to information from the Osage County Health Department and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The county's cases have doubled in the last month, according to the county Health Department.

Symptoms of COVID-19 may include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, call your doctor.

Central Ozarks Medical Center in the Lake of the Ozarks area is offering free drive-thru community testing without the need for a doctor's order or symptoms. This service is available from 5-7 p.m. at COMC's Osage Beach clinic on Tuesdays, in Richland on Wednesdays, and in Camdenton on Thursdays. Visit centralozarks.org for more information.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website at health.mo.gov/coronavirus or the CDC website at cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Missouri operates a statewide COVID-19 hotline at 877-435-8411 from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week.

This article was updated at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5, 2020, with new information.

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