The Jefferson County Health Department has reported four new COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the county’s total number of deaths related to the virus to 561 since the start of the pandemic.
The latest deaths were a man in his 70s, two men in their 80s and a man in his 90s.
Jefferson County has dropped to the yellow, or medium, level on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) three-color COVID-19 warning system. The county had spent 10 consecutive weeks in the orange, or highest, level, prior to the change.
Brianne Zwiener, Jefferson County Health Department public information officer, said she was surprised to see the color change.
“We have been sitting at high for so long,” she said. “Typically in the last couple of years, we have seen a little bit of a surge within the summer months, usually around July and August. With us heading into back to school season, I kind of just thought we would be sitting in that high level for a bit longer. It was surprising, not necessarily an unwelcome surprise.”
Zwiener said she still recommends anyone who is considered high risk for serious illness from the virus to wear a mask in public places. She also said people should wear masks in public if they frequently are around those who are high risk.
As of today, Aug. 19, the county had about 628 active COVID-19 cases, the Health Department reported.
The county has had a total of 60,730 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 Aug. 15, there were a total of 290 inpatient confirmed COVID-19-positive hospitalizations and 30 COVID-19-positive patients in the ICU.
Of the 290 patients confirmed with COVID-19, 171 are fully vaccinated, according to task force. In addition, a total of nine 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.
