The Jefferson County Health Department has reported 11 more COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the total number of county residents who have died from the virus to 346 since the pandemic began.
Those 11 deaths include a man in his 40s, a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 50s, a woman in her 60s, three men in their 70s, two men in their 80s and two women in their 90s.
Two of those deaths were connected to long-term care facilities.
During the week of Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, the county had 365 new COVID-19 cases, which was up from the previous week, when 348 new cases were reported.
Of the most recent 365 cases, 78.1 percent was among unvaccinated people, and 21.9 percent was breakthrough cases, meaning cases among those who had been vaccinated, according to the Health Department.
The Health Department has also reported five long-term care facilities outbreaks. An outbreak is defined as one or more positive cases among the long-term care facility residents or employees, said Brianne Zwiener, the Health Department’s public communications officer.
The Health Department reported 110 new youth cases between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, which was up from the prior week, when there were 72 new youth cases.
As of today (Nov. 10), the county had seen a total of 33,230 coronavirus cases since the first ones were reported in March 2020, the report said.
Red status
For a 16th consecutive week, the county is in the red status on the Health Department’s COVID-19 warning system. Red is the highest level on the four-color system and indicates high transmission of the virus in the community.
The number of cases per 100,000 people for Oct. 31 to Nov. 6 was 162.22, which was up from the previous week when there were 154.67 new cases per 100,000 people, the Health Department reported.
The county’s percentage of positive COVID-19 tests for Oct. 31 to Nov. 6 was 8.43 percent, which was down from the prior week at about 9.1 percent. From Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, the county’s COVID-19 test positivity rate was in the orange level for a second week.
While the positivity rate is in the orange status, overall the county is still considered in the red status, according to the Health Department’s report.
The Health Department uses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) metrics to set the color level, and the community status is calculated using both the seven-day total of new cases per 100,000 residents and the percentage of positive tests. If the metrics have different color levels, the Health Department uses the higher color in the four-color system to determine the county color status.
Vaccines
Health officials urge residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine and to take other steps to limit the spread of the virus, including wearing masks and social distancing.
As of today, 43.95 percent of Jefferson County residents was vaccinated, which was up slightly from the week before, when 43.91 percent was vaccinated, according to the Health Department.
Most of the COVID-19 vaccines recently administered in Jefferson County have been booster doses, the Health Department reported..
Booster COVID-19 vaccines for eligible adults are available anywhere the vaccine is available. Also, people may get any of the vaccines, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson or Pfizer, for their booster shot.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is also available to children aged 5-11 now.
People may sign up for a vaccine appointment through the Health Department by going to the state vaccine Navigator website at covidvaccine.mo.gov/navigator. Or they may call 877-435-8411. Or, to find another local vaccine site, visit vaccinefinder.org.
