Home / Health and Wellness / White House coronavirus expert Deborah Birx meets with Missouri officials            
birx
Dr. Deborah Birx speaks while Gov. Mike Parson listens.

White House coronavirus expert Deborah Birx meets with Missouri officials            

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, praised Missouri’s box-in testing strategy, which involves testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine. “This box-in strategy that is being used here in Missouri I think really is an important example of how to really protect vulnerable individuals,” she said.

Birx met with state officials in Jefferson City this week, including Gov. Mike Parson, officials from Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and community and school leaders as students prepare to return to schools.

Missouri officials have used the strategy in long-term care facilities and other locations. DHSS Director Dr. Randall Williams said 115,000 tests have been conducted in Missouri long-term care facilities, using the box-in strategy. As of this week,, 468 long-term care facilities in Missouri have experienced at least one positive case of COVID-19 among residents, staff or both.

READ: Missourians going back to work at record numbers

DHSS said that since implementing box-in testing, Missouri has seen a significant decrease in its COVID-19 observed case fatality ratio. During April and May, more than 7 percent of all observed cases each month in Missouri were fatal. In June, that number dropped to less than 2 percent. Parson said it’s now less than half a percent in August. Now, the number is 1% or less.

VIDEO: Dr. Birx addresses Missourians

Birx emphasized the importance of wearing a mask and social distancing. She also suggested that Missouri follow Texas’ model, which requires masks in counties with more than 20 cases. She encouraged all Missourians to do their part in fighting the pandemic.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican,” she said. “You need to wear a mask and socially distance. You need to not have parties in your backyard and in your living room,. And we need to stop the spread of this virus because we can and we will together, while we work on developing a vaccine together.”

Across the nation, the mortality rate has dropped to .03 percent.

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice

Can You Help?

With events and churches cancelling services, the advertising that Metro Voice relies on for support is ending. For 31 years, Metro Voice has been a leader in the faith-based community. We have historically relied on advertising to fund the mission of our publication and sharing the Good News. We are now seeking donation partners who want to support our publication and our mission of faith-based journalism.

Do you like what you read here? Help us continue our mission by supporting Metrovoicenews.com for as little as $1. Every contribution counts, big or small. We sincerely thank you for your continued support and encouragement in these critical times.

Ongoing Support


Monthly Giving



One-Time Gifts

 

X
X