The Jefferson County Health Department reported six new confirmed COVID-19 cases today (June 17), bringing the county total to 445 cases.
Of those cases, 47 are open, or active, ones, the Health Department reported.
Active cases are the number of positive cases excluding COVID-19 deaths and those patients who have been released from isolation.
The Health Department reported that the county has had 20 COVID-19 deaths, and 378 people have been released from isolation, which means they recovered enough to be released from case management.
The minimum criteria to be released from case management is that patients “are seven days past the onset of their symptoms, they have improved symptoms and they are fever free for at least 72, Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar said.
The Health Department also reported today that 52 county residents have been hospitalized due to the coronavirus.
In addition, 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 social distancing and taking other steps to prevent the spread of the virus.
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-jeffcomo.
County coronavirus stats
The Health Department also reported that 12 of the county’s cases were transmitted through travel, 272 are from contact and 161 are unknown.
According to the Health Department, 184 of the county’s coronavirus cases have been men and 261 cases women.
The confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county include one person younger than nine, eight people 10 to 19 years old, 49 people 20-29 years old, 66 people 30-39 years old, 63 people 40-49 years old, 90 people 50-59 years old, 81 people 60-69 years old, 40 people 70-79 years old and 47 people in their 80s or older.
In addition, the Health Department reported today that it has monitored a total of 772 cases, and of those, 184 are still actively being monitored and another 588 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.
Vollmar said it is important to continue taking steps to limit the spread of the virus and urges residents to continue 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.
Long-term care facilities
Of the county’s total cases of the coronavirus, 156 have been at long-term care facilities, which includes residents and staff members who live inside Jefferson County.
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, 25 are active ones, and 117 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 16,625 positive cases of the coronavirus and 909 deaths related to the disease, according to the DHSS.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported the U.S. had 2,132,321 cases, which includes 27,975 new cases and a total of 116,862 coronavirus-related deaths, including 722 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.
