The Jefferson County Health Department has reported five more COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the total number of county residents who have died from the virus to 329 since the pandemic began.
Those five deaths include a man in his 20s, a man in his 40s, a man in his 50s and two men in their 60s.
This is the second time the Health Department has reported a COVID-19 related death for a person in their 20s.
During the week of Oct. 17 to Oct. 23, the county had 341 new COVID-19 cases, which was down from the previous week when 411 cases were reported.
Of those 341 cases, 78.9 percent was among unvaccinated people, and 21.1 percent was breakthrough cases, meaning cases among those who had been vaccinated, according to the Health Department.
Sara Wilton, the Health Department epidemiologist, said the number of cases continue to fall.
“Our weekly case count decreased 18.4 percent from week 41 (Oct. 10-16) to week 42 (Oct. 17-23),” she said.
Youth cases also are down, she added.
“In week 42 (Oct. 17-23), we are reporting 82 new youth cases, which is the first time this number has been in double digits since week 28 (July 18),” she said.
As of today (Oct. 27), the county had seen a total of 32,542 coronavirus cases since the first ones were reported in March 2020, the report said.
Red status
For a 14th 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 main indicator of the color status is the total number of cases in a seven-day period per 100,000 people.
The number of cases per 100,000 people for Oct. 17 to Oct. 23 was 151.56, which was down from the previous week when there were 182.67 new cases per 100,000 people, the Health Department reported.
The county’s percentage of positive tests for Oct. 17 to Oct. 23 was 7.73 percent, which was down from the prior week at 9.97 percent, which means the county has dropped to the yellow level for that category.
While the percent positivity is in the yellow status, overall the county is still considered in the red status, according to the report.
Brianne Zwiener, public communications officer for the Health Department, said the county’s color status is based on the number of cases, not the percent positive rate.
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, 43.16 percent of Jefferson County residents was vaccinated, which was up slightly from the week before, when 42.84 percent was vaccinated, according to the Health Department.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has updated guidelines for who is eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot of Moderna or Johnson and Johnson.
Those who are eligible include people 65 and older, people 18 and older living in a long-term care setting, people 18 and older who have underlying medical conditions, and people 18 and older who work or live in a high-risk setting.
“While it is important that those who are eligible begin getting their booster doses, 36 percent of Missourians aged 12 and up haven’t yet received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and it’s not too late to do so,” Donald Kauerauf, director of DHSS said. “Taking that step now would provide one with a high level of protection for the holidays.”
People do not have to get a booster shot at the same place they got their COVID-19 vaccine, according to a statement. Booster shots 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.
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.
