Number of COVID-19 patients at Mercy, Freeman falls sharply, but more of them are from Joplin

The number of people being treated for COVID-19 at Freeman and Mercy hospitals, after reaching a high of 81 last week, stood at 71 Monday, according to statistics posted on the City of Joplin's COVID-19 Dashboard today.

The number had been at 78 over the weekend before dropping to a number that is still two more than the 69 Joplin Health Department Director Ryan Talken referred to as "full, but manageable" during a press conference last week.

Fifteen new coronavirus cases were confirmed among city residents bringing the total to 1,801.

Active cases dropped from 130 to 120, while the number of people who are under quarantine decreased from 258 to 257.

Despite the falling number of COVID-19 patients at local hospitals, a larger percentage of those are Joplin residents as the number grew from 27 to 29.

Joplin has recorded 33 deaths due to COVID-19.