The News Tribune is offering this article free to all readers because it includes information important to the health and safety of our community.
Miller County reported two more deaths related to COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the number of county residents' deaths attributed to the coronavirus to 18.
The deaths reported Thursday are among five reported in the past week, since Oct. 15.
The Miller County Health Center noted in its announcement that no further information would be released about those who died.
As of Thursday, Miller County has reported 878 total cases of COVID-19 since March, of which 124 remain active. A total of 736 Miller County residents have recovered from confirmed cases of the coronavirus; seven patients are currently hospitalized.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will host a free drive-thru COVID-19 community testing event in Miller County early next month.
The community testing event is scheduled from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 2 in the parking lot of the Eldon Community Center, 309 E. 2nd St. in Eldon.
The testing is open to all Missouri residents and does not require a physician's order or that symptoms be present. Online registration for the community testing event will open soon at dcphdo02redcap.azurewebsites.net/redcap/surveys/?s=XTLH7FCLD7.
DHSS community testing events are also planned from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Osage County Fairgrounds in Linn, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 27 at First Assembly of God church in Jefferson City, and from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Moniteau County Fairgrounds in California.
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.
This article was updated at 3:35 p.m. Oct. 22, 2020, to add information about planned community testing events.