The Jefferson County Health Department announced three new COVID-19 cases over the past two days – two today (June 5) and one Thursday night (June 4). That brings the total number of cases in the county to 398.
Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar also announced today that the 22 cases reported on Tuesday (June 2) at long-term care facilities all were from Woodland Manor Nursing Center in Arnold, where facility-wide testing was done. She said those cases include both residents and staff members.
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.
The Health Department posted on social media that its epidemiologist, Dylan Steigerwald, has created a weekly COVID-19 data report for Jefferson County, which will be posted on the Health Department’s website every Thursday beginning June 11.
According to the post, Steigerwald also is launching “Data with Dylan,” a video that will break down COVID-19 data and trends.
The Health Department also reported that about 1,200 people were tested for COVID-19 during the free, drive-thru testing event held Monday through Wednesday (June 1-3) in Jefferson County.
"We have started to receive test results from the community testing sites June 1-3; however, we are still waiting for additional results to come in," Health Department communications specialist Brianne Zwiener said today. "We hope to see those come in over the next few days."
County coronavirus stats
Of the 398 cases in the county, 119 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 as of today, the county has had 18 COVID-19-related deaths, and 261 people have been released from isolation, which means they recovered enough to be released from case management.
The minimum criteria for patients diagnosed with the disease to be released from case management is that they “are seven days past the onset of their symptoms, they have improved symptoms and they are fever free for at least 72 hours,” Vollmar said.
The Health Department also reported that 49 county residents have been hospitalized due to the coronavirus.
According to the Health Department, 167 of the county’s coronavirus cases have been men, 229 cases women and two unknown cases.
The confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county include one person younger than nine, seven people 10 to 19 years old, 38 people 20-29 years old, 57 people 30-39 years old, 52 people 40-49 years old, 82 people 50-59 years old, 73 people 60-69 years old, 38 people 70-79 years old, 46 people in their 80s or older and four unknown cases.
The Health Department also reported that cases in the county have been reported for the following ZIP codes: 64 cases and 35 recovered cases in 63010 (Arnold), 15 cases and 15 recovered cases in 63012 (Barnhart), 29 cases and 11 recovered cases in 63016 (Cedar Hill), 10 cases and seven recovered cases in 63019 (Crystal City), 25 cases and 23 recovered cases in 63020 (De Soto), six cases and three recovered case in 63023 (Dittmer), six cases and four recovered cases in 63025 (Eureka), 34 cases and 27 recovered cases in 63026 (Fenton), 109 cases and 40 recovered cases in 63028 (Festus), four cases and three recovered in 63048 (Herculaneum), 16 cases and 14 recovered cases in 63049 (High Ridge), 13 cases and 10 recovered cases in 63050 (Hillsboro), 20 cases and 18 recovered cases in 63051 (House Springs), 30 cases and 25 recovered cases in 63052 (Imperial), one case and one recovered case in 63069 (Pacific) and 11 cases and eight recovered cases in 63070 (Pevely). Information is not available for five cases.
In addition, the Health Department reported today that it has monitored a total of 754 cases, and of those, 336 are still actively being monitored and another 418 have been released from monitoring.
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.
Zwiener said a person released from monitoring has completed the 14 days without a temperature or symptoms.
Long-term care facilities
Of the county’s 18 COVID-19 deaths, 14 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, where at least 62 residents and 25 staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Health Department reported that 157 of the county’s COVID-19 cases have been at long-term care facilities, which includes residents and staff members who live inside Jefferson County.
According to a dashboard the state has set up, Jefferson County has had five 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 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, 95 are active ones, and 48 have been released from isolation. Also, according to the Health Department, 18 people from long-term care facilities have been hospitalized.
Residents in long-term care facilities go through two quarantine periods before being released from isolation, the Health Department reported.
State, U.S. stats
As of today, Missouri had 14,253 positive cases of the coronavirus and 799 deaths related to the disease, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported the U.S. had 1,862,656 cases, which includes 20,555 new cases and a total of 108,064 coronavirus-related deaths, including 1,035 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.
