The Jefferson County Health Department has reported a new COVID-19-related death, bringing the county’s total number of deaths related to the virus to 557 since the start of the pandemic.
The latest death was a woman in her 60s.
Jefferson County is in the orange, or highest, level on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) three-color COVID-19 warning system for the seventh consecutive week.
Brianne Zwiener, Jefferson County Health Department public information officer, said she recommends everyone wears a mask indoors and on public transportation.
As of Thursday, July 21, the county had about 851 active COVID-19 cases, the Health Department reported.
The county has had a total of 58,780 coronavirus cases since the first ones were reported in March 2020, according to the Health Department dashboard.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, which reports data from the four major hospital systems in the area, reported that as of Thursday, there were a total of 339 inpatient confirmed COVID-19-positive hospitalizations and 46 COVID-19-positive patients in the ICU.
Of the 285 patients confirmed with COVID-19, 178 are fully vaccinated, according to task force.
In addition, a total of 23 COVID-19-positive patients were on ventilators.
Health officials strongly encourage people to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Anyone 6 months and older is eligible for a vaccine.
Zwiener said people may visit vaccines.gov for information about where vaccine appointments are available.
