O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — The number of coronavirus patients in Missouri hospitals has reached another record. One of the state’s largest health care providers is calling off some elective procedures amid fears that hospitals are nearing their capacity. The state health department reported 2,599 additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the total to 193,023 since the pandemic began. The seven-day average for hospitalizations reached 1,672, 97 more than the previous record set a day earlier. Hospitals in the St. Louis region are among those seeing record numbers of patients. BJC HealthCare, in a statement, said four of its St. Louis-area hospitals will start rescheduling some elective surgeries starting Monday.