Parson: 7,000-plus Missouri College Students Test Positive

More than 7,000 college-age people in Missouri have tested positive for the coronavirus since colleges and universities opened for the fall semester, fueling spikes in cases in college towns across the state.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday that one-day positive test rates in some college towns are as high as 45% for people in the 18-24 age group.

According to the seven-day average from The Covid Tracking Project operated by The Atlantic, that’s more than eight times the national positivity rate of 5.5% for people of all ages.

Parson notes that none of the college-age students have become seriously ill, but he acknowledges that worry persists.