Butler County now has 17 COVID-19 positive cases

The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Butler County increased to 17 Monday as Butler County Health Department officials confirmed two additional residents have the virus.

“We got two new ones over the weekend,” said Health Department Administrator Emily Goodin. “We are doing our contact tracing and making sure we get in contact” with anyone,

No additional information on the patients, Goodin said, would be released.

Butler County’s first positive case of COVID-19 was recorded March 31, and by Friday, the count was up to 15.

As of Monday morning, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports a total of 4,160 positive cases in the state, with 110 deaths. The numbers likely are slightly higher because the website has experienced some lag in updates.

Meanwhile, health officials continue to stress the importance of social distancing to help curb the spread of the virus.