The county was moved today (March 9) to the yellow status on the Jefferson County Health Department’s COVID-19 warning system.
Yellow is the second lowest on the four-color system and indicates minimal to moderate transmission of the virus, according to the Health Department.
“We are thrilled to see the county in yellow status,” Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar said. “As we approach one year of COVID-19 in Jefferson County, to see the numbers decreasing and mitigation efforts positively impacting the outcome is rewarding.”
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. The rolling average number of cases for the week of Feb. 28 to March 6 was 9.84.
That is down from the previous week, when the seven-day rolling average was 12.13 per day per 100,000 people in the county, which has a population of about 225,000.
New COVID-19 cases have been on the decline since the end of January, when the county was moved to the orange level, which is the second highest level on the system. Before that, the county had spent 14 consecutive weeks at the red level, which is the highest level on the system.
This is the first time since June the county has been in the yellow level, according to the Health Department.
“Though we are excited to share that our color status has dropped to yellow, we must stay the course with our prevention efforts to maintain the gains we are currently seeing,” Vollmar said. “We encourage residents to continue masking, handwashing, and practicing physical distancing, and consider getting immunized when they are eligible.”
COVID-19 stats
The Health Department reported 72 new COVID-19 cases since March 5, for a total of 21,841 cases since the first ones were reported in March 2020.
Of those latest cases, 24 were reported on March 5, another 13 were from March 6, an additional 12 were from Sunday (March 7) and 23 were from Monday (March 8).
Of the county’s total cases, 1,336 have been at long-term care facilities, which includes residents and staff members who live in Jefferson County, the Health Department reported.
The week beginning Feb. 28 was the first week since the beginning of the pandemic that no cases connected to a long-term care facility were reported, according to the Health Department.
The county has had 222 COVID-19 deaths, and 83 have been from long-term care facilities.
Vaccines
The Health Department reported that as of today, it had administered 5,601 COVID-19 vaccinations of either the first dose of the Moderna vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as well as 377 second doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Health Department officials said they expect to provide another 300 Moderna vaccines this week.
Anyone who wants to get the vaccine through the Health Department must first sign up for it by completing an interest survey at jeffcohealth.org. Then, the Health Department will contact people who sign up to make an appointment when they’re eligible for the vaccine under the state’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan and vaccines are available.
People without internet access may call the Health Department registration line at 636-789-8941.
Comtrea, which also offers health care services around the county, has upcoming vaccine clinics, too, including first-dose clinics on March 16, March 23 and March 30.
Nathanael Herbert, Comtrea’s marketing communications manager, said 400 vaccines will be provided at each of those clinics.
He said starting in April, Comtrea will offer 400 second doses every Wednesday in Festus and Arnold, with 200 second doses given at each location.
Comtrea also gives all vaccines by appointment only and will contact people who have registered for the vaccine and who are eligible to receive it under the state’s distribution plan to set up the appointments.
To register with Comtrea, visit comtrea.org/vaccine-inquiry.
As of today, only those who are included in Phase 1A, Phase 1B Tier 1 and Phase 1B Tier 2 of the state’s vaccine distribution plan may receive the vaccines at this time. However, on Monday, the state plans to open Phase 1 B Tier 3, which includes those who work in “critical infrastructure,” such as education, childcare, communications, government, information technology, transportation and other fields.
For more information about the state’s vaccine plan, go to covidvaccine.mo.gov.
Mercy also has created an online sign-up method to help distribute vaccines to those eligible under the state’s vaccination plan. To sign up with Mercy, go to mercy.net/MOVaccine.
Other hospital systems and pharmacies also are registering people for the vaccines.
