Fifth Missouri COVID-19 death is woman, 80, from Springfield assisted-living center
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the Missouri counties where coronavirus deaths have been reported. No such deaths have been reported in Henry County.
An 80-year-old woman from a Springfield assisted-living center has died, marking Greene County’s first, and Missouri’s fifth, death from COVID-19, health officials announced Monday.
The woman was among four confirmed cases who tested positive for the coronavirus disease over the weekend from the Morningside of Springfield East assisted-living facility, according to a news release from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.
Morningside staff has been working with the health department and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. All four patients, including the woman who died, had been hospitalized.
So far deaths from the disease have also been reported in Jackson, Boone and St. Louis counties in Missouri.
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure extended the city council’s and city’s condolences to the woman’s family and loved ones.
“We are thinking of you and wishing you peace during this very difficult time,” McClure said in the release. “Please know that our hearts are with you.”
Greene County Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon said the commission’s thoughts and prayers are with the woman’s entire family.
“In times of crisis and amid news like we are delivering here tonight, we are asking during these challenging times, that our entire region continue to come together,” Dixon said. “When we act together to take preventative actions in the interests of our families, our neighborhoods and our communities, there are fewer reasons for us to fear.”
Springfield and Greene County are expected to announce stricter stay at home orders on Tuesday, according to Cora Scott, Springfield’s director of public information and civic engagement.
As of Monday morning, there were 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Greene County, according to the health department.
The Springfield-Green County Health Department believes there is community spread of the disease in the area, according to the release.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 10:44 AM.
