The Jefferson County Health Department reported two new COVID-19-related deaths and an increase in cases in its latest weekly update released today, April 27.
With the latest COVID-19 deaths, the county has seen a total of 545 residents who died because of the virus since the start of the pandemic, according to the Health Department.
The latest deaths were a man in his 50s and a man in his 80s.
During the week of April 17 to April 23, the county had 113 new COVID-19 cases, a 46.73 percent increase from the previous week when 79 cases were reported, the Health Department reported.
Despite that increase, the county is still in the green level on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) three-color COVID-19 warning system for a seventh consecutive week.
As of today, the county had seen a total of 53,426 coronavirus cases since the first ones were reported in March 2020, according to the Health Department.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, which reports data from the four major hospital systems in the area, reported that as of April 25, there were a total of 96 inpatient confirmed COVID-19 positive hospitalizations, 26 inpatient suspected COVID-19 positive hospitalizations and eight COVID-19-positive patients in the ICU. In addition, a total of seven COVID-19 positive patients were on ventilators as of April 18.
Flu
The Health Department reported 19 additional flu cases in the April 27 report, which was down from the previous week, when there were 24 new cases reported.
So far this flu season, which began Oct. 3 and ends May 21, the county has seen a total of 1,241 flu cases and three flu-related 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 April 13, 50.97 percent of Jefferson County residents had received two vaccinations against COVID-19, and 20.53 percent of county residents had received 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.
