The Jefferson County Health Department reported three new COVID-19-related deaths in its latest weekly update released today, March 23.
With the latest three COVID-19-related deaths, the county has seen a total of 530 residents who have died because of the virus since the start of the pandemic, according to the Health Department.
The latest deaths included a woman in her 50s, a woman in her 80s and a man in his 80s.
Despite those additional deaths, new coronavirus cases continue to decline.
During the week of March 13 to March 19, the county had 52 new COVID-19 cases, down from the previous week when there were 55 new cases.
Of the most recent new cases, 63.5 percent was among unvaccinated people, 26.9 percent was among those with two vaccinations, and 9.6 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 53,004 coronavirus cases since the first ones were reported in March 2020, according to the Health Department.
For the second week in a row, the county is now 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, the Health Department reported.
Flu
The Health Department reported 40 additional flu cases in the March 23 report.
So far this flu season, the county has had a total of 1,137 flu cases, the Health Department reported.
Two people have died from the flu since the start of the flu 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 stay up-to-date on those vaccines.
The Health Department also encourages those who got two COVID-19 vaccines to get a booster.
The recent emergence of the Omicron BA.2 variant makes it even more important to get vaccines and boosters and to take steps to prevent the spread of the virus, the Health Department reported.
According to the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, “the BA.2 sub-variant has been detected in Missouri by the state’s sewer shed surveillance program, and the state has also confirmed that some cases of COVID-19 in St. Louis County have been caused by this sub-variant.
“Early indicators show that it is more transmissible than Omicron. However, vaccination and prior infection with Omicron seem to be protective against this new sub-variant. We don’t yet know whether BA.2 will cause another wave in the St. Louis region, but we do know the existing COVID-19 vaccines work to reduce the risk of severe illness from the BA.2 subvariant. Vaccinations are the single greatest source of protection against severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19.
As of today, 50.51 percent of Jefferson County residents had received two vaccinations against COVID-19, which was up slightly from the previous week when 50.41 percent had them, the Health Department reported.
The agency also reported that 20.11 percent of county residents had received their booster vaccines, according to the Health Department.
The Jefferson County Health Department also recommends people follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested, if they are exposed to COVID-19 or have COVID-19 symptoms. 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 the 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.
