About 15 people in Missouri have been tested for COVID-19, the coronavirus disease that first appeared toward the end of 2019 in Wuhan, China. The most recent test was Friday, and all results have come back negative, meaning there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Missouri, state officials announced Tuesday.
Gov. Mike Parson and Randall Williams, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, held a news conference at the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency building, briefing reporters about how the state is preparing for the potential arrival of coronavirus.
“I am confident in telling you Missouri is ready if an outbreak happens,” Parson said. “We’re on top of this as much as I feel like we can be, and we’re trying to prepare the best we can for the unknown.”
Williams said he and the DHSS have met with the governor every day since Jan. 27 in order to be proactive about a possible outbreak.
Parson and Williams said right now their main focus is educating and protecting all Missouri residents.
“Wash your hands, and use situational awareness,” Williams said.
And while that may seem like a simple answer to the coronavirus, Williams then went on to give the analogy that washing your hands is to the coronavirus like wearing your seatbelt is to riding in a car: It will not completely prevent all risks, but it will help minimize damage.
Parson has also held conference calls with other state governors and Vice President Mike Pence in order to “strategically align state partners with federal partners.”
At the news conference, it was announced that $7.4 billion will be distributed to local health directors across the country.
The governor does not yet know, however, if the cost of testing for the coronavirus will be “relevant” to the average consumer because it might be covered through a federal appropriation that he met with the vice president about in Washington, D.C.
People will not be eligible for coronavirus testing unless they meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirements.
Those most at-risk are people over the age of 65, children and people with chronic illnesses.
Another briefing will be held Wednesday with mayors and local officials statewide.
