The Jefferson County Health Department has reported 23 more COVID-19-related deaths – the same number reported last week.
“We know that when we see a spike in cases (such as the Omicron surge), we then see an increase in hospitalizations, and soon after an increase in COVID deaths,” said Sara Wilton, Health Department epidemiologist. “Though we are seeing a current reduction in cases, we are also seeing the final effects of the Omicron surge.”
The latest COVID-19 deaths include a man in his 30s, three men in their 40s, two women in their 50s, two men in their 50s, two men in their 60s, three women in their 70s, four men in their 70s, three women in their 80s and three men in their 80s.
With the latest 23 deaths, the county has seen a total of 462 people die from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
During the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, the county had 814 new COVID-19 cases, down from the previous week when there were 1,684 new cases.
Of the most recent new cases, 64.37 percent was among unvaccinated people, 24.21 percent was among those with two vaccinations, and 11.42 percent was among people who had two vaccinations and a booster dose.
As of Wednesday (Feb. 5), the county had seen a total of 51,687 coronavirus cases since the first ones were reported, according to the Health Department.
Red status
For the 29th consecutive week, the county is in the red status on the Health Department’s COVID-19 warning system.
The number of cases per 100,000 people for Jan. 30 to Feb. 5 was 361.78, which was down from the previous week when there were 748.44 new cases per 100,000 people, the Health Department reported.
The county’s percentage of positive COVID-19 tests for Jan. 30 to Feb. 5 was 23.41 percent, which was down from the previous week when the positivity rate was 30.61 percent, according to the Health Department.
Flu
The Health Department reported 13 new flu cases for the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, which was down from the previous week, Jan. 23 to Jan. 29, when 25 cases were reported.
So far this flu season, the county has had a total of 989 cases, the Health Department reported.
Two people have died from the flu since the start of the season, which runs from Oct. 3 through May 21.
Vaccines
Health officials urge residents to get vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19 and to take other steps to limit the spread of the diseases, including frequent hand-washing, wearing masks and social distancing.
As of today, 49.46 percent of Jefferson County residents had received two vaccinations against COVID-19, which was up slightly from the previous week when 49.18 percent had them, the Health Department reported.
The agency also reported that 18.88 percent of county residents had received their booster vaccines, according to the Health Department.
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.
