New tests result in two new positive COVID-19 cases

Two of the 36 people tested for COVID-19 Wednesday at the Butler County Health Department came back positive for the coronavirus.

“The board has approved the health department to give out 1,000 free tests,” explained health department Administrator Emily Goodin. “That’s kind of what we’re doing.

“We started off (Wednesday), and we’re going to continue on … until we run out of tests.”

Although Goodin didn’t know the number tested Thursday, “we have been booked all day,” she said. “We are continuously doing them one right after the other.”

Appointments, she said, still are being taken for Friday, as well as next week.

“Next week, we are doing our regular COVID testing like we’re doing today, but we will also have the rapid machine back,” Goodin said. “We’ll be doing both.”

For the regular virus testing, Goodin said, the health department has been working with Gamma Labs.

“We have to send (the tests) off to Gamma,” she explained. “… It took us a day to get those results from (Wednesday),” and can take up to three days.

The rapid response machine, she said, provides results within 15 minutes.

Both involve nasal swabs, but the “accuracy rate of the send-off test is a little bit better than the rapid testing,” Goodin said.

It is unknown how many rapid response tests will be available next week.

“The machine and all those tests come down from Department of Health and Senior Services, so we won’t know the number of tests that are coming … until we get the machine,” Goodin said.

At some point, “we will be doing community sampling here in Butler County,” said Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Robbie Myers.

Community testing events have been or are being held this week in Ripley, Carter and Stoddard counties.

COVID-19, Goodin said, still is so new to everybody.

“There are some studies out there that show asymptomatic people can be carriers,” Goodin said. “Hopefully, we’ll close the gap a little bit (with the testing) and get everybody taken care of.”

Missouri state health officials announced 203 new positive tests Thursday, the second straight day with over 200 new cases for the first time since May 3-4. There were 12 deaths associated with the virus reported, bringing the total to 860.

Thursday’s new positives cases brought Butler County’s total up to 53 since mid-March. Six positive cases have been announced this week.

Of the confirmed cases in Butler County, 28 are classified as recovered, one is hospitalized and 24 are recommended to self isolated.

Twenty-three patients are male and 30 are female.

The Butler County cases broken down by age are:

20-29: 3

30-39: 5

40-49: 4

50-59: 14

60-69: 16

70-79: 10

80+: 1

Anyone wanting a COVID-19 test may call the health department at 573-785-8478 during business hours to make an appointment.