The Jefferson County Health Department reported nine new COVID-19-related deaths and one more flu-related death in its latest weekly update released today, April 13.
With the latest COVID-19 deaths, the county has seen a total of 542 residents who died because of the virus since the start of the pandemic, according to the Health Department.
Those latest nine deaths included a woman in her 60s, a man in his 60s, two women in their 70s, three men in their 70s, a woman in her 80s and a man in his 90s.
With the latest flu death, the county has had a total of three residents die because of the flu this season, which began Oct. 3 and will end May 21. The latest reported flu death was a woman in her 90s.
Coronavirus cases remain steady
During the week of April 3 to April 9, the county had 48 new COVID-19 cases, the same number as the previous week, according to the Health Department.
Of the most recent new cases, 50 percent was among unvaccinated people, 22.92 percent was among those with two vaccinations, and 27.08 percent was among people who had two vaccinations and a booster dose, the Health Department reported.
As of today, the county had seen a total of 53,209 coronavirus cases since the first ones were reported in March 2020, according to the Health Department.
For the fifth week in a row, the county is in the green level on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) three-color COVID-19 warning system. The green level indicates low transmission of the virus, according to the Health Department.
Flu
The Health Department reported 23 additional flu cases in the April 13 report, a 57.14 percent increase from the 13 cases reported last week.
So far this flu season, the county has had a total of 1,198 flu cases and three deaths.
Vaccines
Health officials urge residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The agency also encourages those who have received two COVID-19 vaccines to get a booster.
In addition, the CDC recommends those who are immunocompromised or who are 50 or older to get a second booster shot.
Eligible people may get the second booster if it’s been at least four months since their first one.
As of today, 50.97 percent of Jefferson County residents had received two vaccinations against COVID-19, which was up slightly from the previous week when 50.8 percent had them, the Health Department reported.
The agency also reported that 20.53 percent of county residents had received their booster vaccines, according to the Health Department.
The Jefferson County Health Department also recommends people who are exposed to COVID-19 or have COVID-19 symptoms follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested. Those who are immunocompromised or high risk for severe disease are advised to have a plan for rapid testing if needed and to talk to their healthcare provider about whether they need to take other steps to limit the spread of the diseases, including frequent hand-washing, wearing masks and social distancing.
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.
