The Jefferson County Health Department reported five new confirmed COVID-19 cases today (June 19), bringing the county total to 461 cases.
Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar said the county has seen an uptick in cases over the past few days, so she urges people to continue taking steps to limit the spread of the coronavirus, such as practicing social distancing, frequently washing hands with soap and water or 60 percent alcohol-based hand sanitizer, wearing a face covering in public, staying home when you are sick, and covering your cough and sneeze.
Of the 461 cases in the county, 34 are open, or active, ones, the Health Department reported today.
Active cases are the number of positive cases excluding COVID-19 deaths and those patients who have been released from isolation.
The county has had 20 COVID-19 deaths, and 407 people have been released from isolation, which means they recovered enough to be released from case management, according to the Health Department.
In addition, the Health Department reported today that 53 county residents have been hospitalized due to the coronavirus.
The Health Department, which has announced a new system to warn residents about the level of threat of the disease in the community, says the county currently is at the yellow guidance status, which means people should continue taking preventive steps to curb the spread of the disease.
The system also has a green level, which is less restrictive, and a red level, which would have more restrictions in place.
For more information about the system, go to jeffcohealth.org/unite-jeffco.mo.
County coronavirus stats
The Health Department also reported today that 15 of the county’s cases were transmitted through travel, 276 are from contact and 170 are unknown.
According to the Health Department, 189 of the county’s coronavirus cases have been men, 269 cases women and three unknown cases.
The confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county include two people younger than nine, nine people 10 to 19 years old, 51 people 20-29 years old, 66 people 30-39 years old, 65 people 40-49 years old, 92 people 50-59 years old, 86 people 60-69 years old, 40 people 70-79 years old, 47 people in their 80s or older and three unknown.
The Health Department also reported that cases in the county have been reported for the following ZIP codes: 72 cases and 63 recovered cases in 63010 (Arnold), 18 cases and 18 recovered cases in 63012 (Barnhart), 28 cases and 22 recovered cases in 63016 (Cedar Hill), 11 cases and nine recovered cases in 63019 (Crystal City), 34 cases and 28 recovered cases in 63020 (De Soto), seven cases and six recovered case in 63023 (Dittmer), six cases and five recovered cases in 63025 (Eureka), 44 cases and 33 recovered cases in 63026 (Fenton), 115 cases and 101 recovered cases in 63028 (Festus), one case and one recovered case in 63047 (Hematite), four cases and three recovered in 63048 (Herculaneum), 24 cases and 17 recovered cases in 63049 (High Ridge), 15 cases and 11 recovered cases in 63050 (Hillsboro), 24 cases and 23 recovered cases in 63051 (House Springs), 42 cases and 30 recovered cases in 63052 (Imperial), one case and one recovered case in 63069 (Pacific) and 14 cases and 11 recovered cases in 63070 (Pevely). Information is not available for one case.
In addition, the Health Department reported today that it has monitored a total of 808 cases, and of those, 212 are still actively being monitored and another 596 have been released from monitoring.
Brianne Zwiener, communications specialist with the Health Department, 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 cases of the coronavirus, 157 have been at long-term care facilities, which includes residents and staff members who live inside Jefferson County. One new case was reported today.
In addition, 14 of the county’s 20 COVID-19 deaths have been at long-term care facilities.
At least five of the deaths at county long-term care facilities have been at Festus Manor Care Center.
According to a dashboard the state has set up, Jefferson County has had five COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities. In addition to Festus Manor, the outbreaks have been at Big River Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Cedar Hill; Woodland Manor Nursing Center in Arnold; Scenic View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Herculaneum; and Fountainbleau Nursing Center south of Festus.
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.
Of the cases at long-term care facilities, five are active ones, and 138 have been released from isolation. Residents in long-term care facilities go through two quarantine periods before being released from isolation, the Health Department reported.
Also, according to the Health Department, 19 people from long-term care facilities have been hospitalized.
State, U.S. stats
As of today, Missouri had 17,201 positive cases of the coronavirus and 948 deaths related to the disease, according to the DHSS.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported the U.S. had 2,178,710 cases, which includes 23,138 new cases and a total of 118,365 coronavirus-related deaths, including 733 new 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.
