KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said the state will be “extremely aggressive” in testing for COVID-19.
"It is important to remember that the more tests we do, the more positive cases there will be," Parson said during a press conference on Monday. "But again, I want to emphasize that not all of these positive cases are hospitalized. The vast majority of people have already recovered, or are currently recovering at home. Some people with the virus do not show symptoms at all. Which is why we are working to identify these individuals and isolate them as quickly as possible."
During a press conference on Monday, Parson was joined by Department of Health and Senior Services Director Dr. Randall Williams, who said testing will be a pillar of the state’s response to COVID-19 going forward.
Williams said he wanted to encourage Missourians with any COVID-19-like symptoms, such as muscle aches or a fever, to be tested, while also asking clinicians to test patients who make such a request.
“We want to see exactly how we’re doing as things change,” Williams said.
Missouri also issued an order, according to Williams, that if one patient or staff member who works at a long-term care facility tests positive for COVID-19, it will be recommended to test everyone at the facility.
“It’s a capability we didn’t have a month ago,” Williams said, noting that 50 facilities met that criteria as of Monday.
