This week three more Franklin County residents died as a result of COVID-19. The deaths of a 50-year-old Roberstville man, a 65-year-old Pacific woman and an 81-year-old Grubville man bring the death toll to 23.

An additional eight people were hospitalized in the last seven days of available data. Hospitalizations include only county residents. Missouri Baptist at Sullivan, Mercy Washington and other Mercy facilities report these cases. Other area hospitals may not.

To date, Franklin County has recorded 1,038 positive cases of the virus. 137 of those cases were added this week. This is largest weekly increase of cases since the pandemic began.

Contact tracers are still running days behind as new cases pile up. Anyone who has come into contact with a positive case is urged to self-isolate.

An additional three residents in long-term care facilities in the county were diagnosed, bringing that total to seven.

Five new cases were identified in the Gerald area. These include four males ages 17, 28, 58 and 59 plus a 75-year-old female. They join a 48-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman from Gerald who are still in active status.

Across the state, there were 7,693 new cases reported in the last seven days. An additional 89 people have died.