Task force reports rebounding case numbers in St. Louis area as testing increases Dr. Garza said hospitalizations have been trending in the right direction, but admission numbers in the St. Louis area remained high while case numbers dipped Author: Sam Clancy Updated: 6:11 PM CST January 11, 2021 ST. LOUIS — The leader of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said the region is starting to see a rebound in newly confirmed cases as testing numbers return to pre-holiday levels. Dr. Alex Garza, the incident commander of the task force, said case numbers in nearly every county in the St. Louis area reported more cases in the last seven days when compared to the previous seven days. Dr. Garza said that increase was expected as testing ramped back up, but it will still be a few weeks before they can figure out if the holiday will bring the anticipated spike in cases.