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In Missouri, state officials announced 1,637 new cases Thursday, 336 more than the previous record set one day prior. The state also announced an additional 20 deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the total to 1,179 since the first cases were reported.

Missouri’s record number of cases on Thursday is higher than neighboring Illinois’ report of 1,624 new cases on the same day, though the Illinois population is double that of Missouri.

More than 40 states have some sort of mask mandate in place, but Missouri Gov. Mike Parson  has resisted any effort to issue such a statewide mandate. During appearances Thursday to talk about fighting crime, the governor was photographed wearing a mask.

The ӣ����Ƶ Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported the seven-day moving average of hospitalizations in the region remained at 239 from Wednesday. This average reflects a decrease in COVID-positive patients to 235 Thursday from 252 Wednesday, as well as patients suspected of having the virus, which decreased to 115 from 175.

There are 51 patients in the ӣ����Ƶ region in intensive care, which decreased from 56 Wednesday, and 31 patients are on ventilators, an increase of one, according to the group’s findings.

ӣ����Ƶ County reported 9,944 total cases, adding 320 new cases in the last 24 hours and 11 deaths. The county has tracked 626 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Missouri’s health department said Thursday that due to increased testing and positive cases statewide, there is a backlog in processing COVID-19 tests. But the department is focusing on the state's positivity rate.

Missouri’s seven-day rolling positivity rate — the percentage of COVID-19 tests that come back positive — was 7% Thursday, according to the state health department. This data proves the virus is spreading in communities across the state, health officials said.

This is a developing story.