By any metric, this has been an alarming week for those watching the COVID-19 numbers.

462 new cases were reported, compared to 307 new cases last week. There were 108 new cases reported on Nov. 6 alone.

An additional eight people lost their lives due to the virus. They include a 67-year-old woman from Gerald, an 83-year-old woman from St. Clair, two men from Union age 83 and 77, a 79-year-old man from Pacific, and two women age 77 and 94 plus an 82-year old man from Washington. An ominous note sent Nov. 6 indicated, “The state of Missouri has provided information to the Franklin County Health Department indicating that they have additional documentation for deaths within Franklin County and will be providing that to Franklin County Officials over the next few days.” As of press time, information on those additional deaths has not been released.

Cases in long term care facilities began the week with a count of 83, dropped down to 56 then went back up to 73 cases.

Besides the rising deaths, hospitalizations also saw a sharp rise. There were 13 people hospitalized with COVID-19 seven days ago. There are now 22 hospital cases.

New cases in the area include 11 cases in the Gerald area. A 16-year-old male and 10 females ages 9, 16, 29, 31, 32, 39, 47, 62, 63 and 72. There are 14 active cases in Leslie and 11 in Beaufort. That adds up to a total of 36 active cases in the three town area.