The Jefferson County Health Department reported 174 more COVID-19 cases today (Dec. 17), bringing the total number of cases to 15,112 since the first ones were reported in March.
The county currently has 5,855 active cases, the highest number since the start of the pandemic, the Health Department reported.
Of the county’s total coronavirus cases, 1,068 have been at long-term care facilities, which includes residents and staff members who live in Jefferson County.
Of the 120 COVID-19 deaths in the county, 59 have been from long-term care facilities, the Health Department reported.
Testing event
A total of 347 people were tested for COVID-19 at a free drive-thru testing event held Dec. 12 at the Hillsboro Community Civic Club, communications specialist with the Health Department Brianne Zwiener said.
Of those, 59 people tested positive, she said.
Zwiener said 301 of the people tested at the event were Jefferson County residents and of the 59 people who tested positive, 53 of them were Jefferson County residents.
Preventive steps
The county remains at the red level on the Health Department’s COVID-19 warning system, for the seventh consecutive week.
Red is the highest level on the Health Department’s four-color system and indicates widespread and uncontrolled transmission of the virus.
Several factors are evaluated when determining the color level, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and White House Pandemic Task Force guidelines. However, the main indicator is the seven-day rolling average. If the county has a rolling average of 25 or more cases per day per 100,000 residents, it is moved to the red level.
From Dec. 6 through Dec. 12, the seven-day rolling average number of cases in the county was 69.33 per day per 100,000 people in the county, which has a population of about 225,000.
That rolling average was down from the previous week, when it was 83.17 per day per 100,000 residents, the Health Department reported
To control the spread of the virus, health officials urge residents to follow the county’s face mask order, which requires residents to wear face masks while in public spaces when social distancing cannot be maintained. There are no fines or penalties for violators, though.
The Health Department also stresses the importance of limiting nonessential travel, avoiding crowds, social distancing, good hand-washing and staying home if you are sick.
