This story was updated at 7 p.m. Oct. 20, 2020, to announce the county's eighth COVID-19 death.
The Callaway County Health Department reported the county's fifth COVID-19 death of October and eighth overall Tuesday, as the county's total known cases shot past 1,000.
Previous deaths this month were reported Monday, Friday, Oct. 13 and Oct. 7.
Prior to October, the county had reported only three deaths attributed to the disease since March.
Based on 1,046 known cases of COVID-19 in the county and eight deaths so far, the county's fatality rate for COVID-19 stands at 0.76 percent. The true rate could be lower or higher, as according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention some cases go undetected in asymptomatic individuals, while "many cases and deaths are never confirmed to be COVID-19."
By comparison, the CDC estimated a fatality rate of 0.04-0.15 percent for the 2019-20 influenza season.
"It is with great remorse Callaway County Public Health Department announces the loss of another Callaway County community member due to COVID-19," the Health Department wrote in an update on CallawayCOVID19.com. "Please keep the family and friends of this individual in your thoughts and prayers."
As with previous deaths, the CCHD didn't release any additional information about the deceased.
The Health Department reported that of the 1,046 known cases, 199 were active as of Tuesday. The county set a new record number of active cases Monday with 249.
So far, 839 Callaway County residents have recovered from the disease.
It's unclear how many of those active cases are located within Fulton. The city of Fulton, which receives data about its active case count from the CCHD, last shared an update Thursday when it reported 36 cases. That number doesn't include cases at the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center or Fulton's two colleges.
The Missouri Department of Corrections reported 120 cases at the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center - 109 among inmates and 11 among staff - as of Monday. DOC spokesperson Karen Pojmann declined to state whether there have been any inmate deaths at the FRDC, citing the need to protect inmates' medical privacy.
People can protect themselves and others from the virus that causes COVID-19 by staying at least 6 feet away from others, wearing a mask that covers their nose and mouth, washing their hands frequently, cleaning touched surfaces often and staying home when sick, according to the CDC.
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 CDC.
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.