Jefferson County Health Department officials decided today (Sept. 22) to move the county back to the red level on the agency’s four-color COVID-19 alert system, after the county spent the past week at the orange level.
It is the second time the county has been categorized in the red level – the highest level, which indicates widespread uncontrolled community transmission.
The red level calls for more preventives steps to curb the spread of the virus, but neither county officials nor the Health Department Board of Trustees mandated any mitigation efforts the last time the county was in the red level.
The Health Department board has a regular meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 24), but Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar said there are no plans to discuss or enact a mask mandate or any other mitigation efforts at that meeting.
She also said the board has no plans to discuss COVID-19 at the meeting, although there’s a possibility the board could schedule a special meeting to take up the topic.
The main indicator used to determine the color level is the seven-day rolling average of cases per day/per 100,000 residents, according to the Health Department.
The red level indicates the county, which has a population of about 225,000, is seeing 25 or more cases per 100,000 people per day.
“Our rolling average hit 31.94 today, well over the 25-case threshold to move to red,” Vollmar said. “Since last Tuesday, we have had an additional 527 cases with a 10 percent positivity rate among (COVID-19) tests.”
Health Department officials urge residents to take preventive steps to limit the spread of the virus, including eliminating unnecessary travel, avoiding crowds, social distancing, wearing masks, frequently washing hands staying home if you are sick.
“Without appropriate prevention measures the spread can increase quickly,” Vollmar said. “In Jefferson County it took 120 days to go from one case to 1,000, 24 days for cases 1,001 to 2,000, 21 days for cases 2,001 to 3,000, and 16 days to go from 3,001 to 4,000 cases.”
The county was first moved to red on Sept. 8 and remained there for a week, until Sept. 15, when the Health Department moved the county back to the orange level – the second highest level on the system, which indicates widespread but controlled transmission of the virus.
The four-color warning system was devised on Aug. 12, and the county had been at the orange level from that date until Sept. 8, when the Health Department moved the county to the red level for the first time.
Brianne Zwiener, Health Department communications specialist, said the agency looks at the data everyday for trends, but the data is reviewed every Tuesday to see if the color level needs to be changed.
County COVID-19 stats
The Health Department reported another COVID-19 death today – a man in his 80s from a long-term care facility.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time,” Vollmar said.
The county has had a total of 60 COVID-19-related deaths since the pandemic began.
The Health Department also reported 55 new coronavirus cases today, bringing the total number of cases to 4,106 since the first ones were reported in March.
Those cases are through midnight Monday (Sept. 21).
Of the total cases in the county, 1,017 are open, or active, ones. Active cases are the number of positive cases excluding COVID-19 deaths and those patients who have been released from isolation.
The Health Department has reported a total of 3,021 cases that have been released from isolation, which means the patients recovered enough to be released from case management.
Another eight cases are under investigation, the Health Department reported.
Of the total cases in the county, 3,794 are lab confirmed and 312 cases are probable. A case is considered probable when a person has been exposed to a positive case and is exhibiting symptoms, according to the Health Department.
The Health Department also reported today that it has monitored a total of 4,256 cases, and of those, 1,061 are still actively quarantined and another 3,195 have been released from quarantine.
Zwiener said a person who is being actively monitored has been in contact with a positive case, but is not showing symptoms.
She said people who are actively monitored are quarantined to their homes and must take their temperature twice a day for 14 days.
Long-term care facilities
Of the county’s total coronavirus cases, 553 have been at long-term care facilities, which includes residents and staff members who live inside Jefferson County.
Of the county’s 60 COVID-19-related deaths, 43 deaths have been in long-term care facilities, the Health Department reported today.
The county has had at least 18 COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities, according to the Health Department.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) defines an outbreak as one or more residents testing positive for the virus or one or more staff members who have worked within a facility in the 14 days before testing positive.
The Health Department also reported that of the total number of cases at long-term care facilities, 132 are active ones, and 378 have been released from isolation.
State, U.S. stats
Missouri had 114,307 positive cases of the coronavirus and 1,807 deaths related to the disease, the DHSS reported today.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the U.S. had 6,825,697 cases, and a total of 199,462 coronavirus-related deaths, as of today.
Anyone who shows coronavirus symptoms or who has questions should call the Missouri State Hotline at 877-435-8411 or the Mercy Clinical Support Line at 314-251-0500. For more information about COVID-19, visit jeffcohealth.org/coronavirus-covid19.
Testing
Any Missouri resident who wants a COVID-19 test may get one for free this week at Faith Community Church, 4824 Scottsdale Road, in House Springs.
The testing is being held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 23).
Vollmar said she hopes to see more than 900 people tested at the event.
“The more testing we can do, the better picture we have of what’s going on within the community as far as community spread,” she said.
The Jefferson County testing event is just one of several being held around the state. The cost of the testing will be covered by CARES Act funding, the report said.
Anyone who would like to register for the event may visit health.mo.gov/communitytest or call the Missouri COVID-19 hotline at 877-435-8411.
