Anyone who wants a COVID-19 test may take one for free Tuesday and Wednesday (Sept. 22-Sept. 23) at Faith Community Church, 4824 Scottsdale Road, in House Springs.
The testing will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 22 and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 23.
Jefferson County Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar said she hopes to see more than 900 people tested at the event.
“The more testing we can do, the better picture we have of what’s going on within the community as far as community spread,” she said.
Vollmar said more county residents have been tested over the last few weeks.
“Unfortunately, the number coming back positive has been higher,” she said.
The Health Department moved the county into the red level on its COVID-19 warning system on Tuesday night (Sept 8).
The red level indicates widespread uncontrolled community transmission and calls for stricter guidelines to limit the spread of the virus, including a possible stay-at-home order.
Vollmar said the board has not scheduled a special meeting to discuss any type of countywide order.
Free testing event
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the National Guard will operate the testing event, coordinated with the Jefferson County Health Department, the DHSS announced in a written statement today (Sept. 9).
It is one of several free testing events being held across the state.
The cost of the testing will be covered by CARES Act funding, the report said.
Any Missouri resident may be tested at the upcoming Jefferson County event.
“We continue to encourage anyone who feels they should be tested to get tested,” DHSS Director Randall Williams said. “We have found these testing events have been greatly appreciated in the communities, and we are thankful that through the governor’s initiative we have developed the testing capacity to organize these user-friendly events throughout Missouri.”
Other testing events will be held in St. Francois County, St. Charles County, Perry County, Madison County, Boone County, Nodaway County and Ralls County, according to the report.
This will be the second community COVID-19 testing event held in Jefferson County.
The DHSS, National Guard and Health Department worked together June 1-3 to hold the first one, with testing sites in both House Springs and Hillsboro.
During that testing, 865 people were tested and just three Jefferson County residents tested positive.
Vollmar said she expects to see more positive tests at the next event.
“Given the fact we’re going to be just a couple weeks out from the (Labor Day) holiday and a couple of really large events within our community, I think we’re going to see more positive tests,” she said.
Vollmar said with no mandate in the county limiting the number of people at gatherings, the Health Department has no way to shut down a large event which could lead to the spread of COVID-19.
Vollmar said she strongly encourages everyone to limit travel, avoid large crowds, practice social distancing, wear a mask and take other steps to limit the spread of the virus.
Anyone who would like to register for the event may visit health.mo.gov/communitytest or call the Missouri COVID-19 hotline at 877-435-8411.
COVID-19 stats
The Jefferson County Health Department has reported 49 new COVID-19 cases in the county, including seven at long-term care facilities.
That brings the total number of cases in the county to 3,297 since the first ones were reported in March.
Those cases are through midnight Tuesday (Sept. 8), the Health Department reported.
Of the total cases, 813 are open, or active, ones since cases the pandemic began, according to the Health Department.
Active cases are the number of positive cases excluding COVID-19 deaths and those patients who have been released from isolation.
The Health Department has had a total of 49 COVID-19 deaths, as well as 2,422 cases that have been released from isolation, which means the patients recovered enough to be released from case management.
Another 13 cases are under investigation.
Of the total cases in the county, 3,024 are lab confirmed and 273 cases are probable, the Health Department reported.
For the week that ended Sept. 5 (the most recent data available), a total of 2,738 county residents had been tested for COVID-19, and 373 were positive and 2,365 were negative. That translates to a 13.6 percent positivity rate, which is higher than the week before, when there was a 13.4 percent positivity rate.
The Health Department reported today that 35 of the county’s total cases were contracted through travel, 1,237 were transmitted through contact with someone with the virus, and it’s unknown how 2,025 of the cases were contracted.
According to the Health Department, 1,488 of the county’s coronavirus cases have been men, 1,797 cases have been women and 12 are unknown.
The confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county include 115 people younger than nine, 303 people 10 to 19 years old, 594 people 20-29 years old, 470 people 30-39 years old, 516 people 40-49 years old, 505 people 50-59 years old, 356 people 60-69 years old, 235 people 70-79 years old, 201 people in their 80s or older and two unknown.
The Health Department also reported that cases in the county have been reported for the following ZIP codes: 586 cases and 302 recovered cases in 63010 (Arnold), 164 cases and 92 recovered cases in 63012 (Barnhart), 99 cases and 57 recovered cases in 63016 (Cedar Hill), 87 cases and 52 recovered cases in 63019 (Crystal City), 228 cases and 131 recovered cases in 63020 (De Soto), 39 cases and 22 recovered case in 63023 (Dittmer), 38 cases and 21 recovered cases in 63025 (Eureka), 289 cases and 194 recovered cases in 63026 (Fenton), 503 cases and 308 recovered cases in 63028 (Festus), one case and zero recovered in 63030 (Fletcher), one case and one recovered case in 63047 (Hematite), 56 cases and 26 recovered in 63048 (Herculaneum), 205 cases and 138 recovered cases in 63049 (High Ridge), 240 cases and 145 recovered cases in 63050 (Hillsboro), 179 cases and 110 recovered cases in 63051 (House Springs), 438 cases and 295 recovered cases in 63052 (Imperial), three cases and two recovered in 63057 (Liguori), one case and one recovered cases in 63065 (Mapaville), 12 cases and seven recovered case in 63069 (Pacific) and 90 cases and 59 recovered cases in 63070 (Pevely). Another 38 cases do not have ZIP code information.
In addition, the Health Department reported today that it has monitored a total of 3,349 cases, and of those, 826 are still actively quarantined and another 2,523 have been released from quarantine.
Brianne Zwiener, Health Department communications specialist, said a person who is being actively monitored has been in contact with a positive case, but is not showing symptoms.
She said people who are actively monitored are quarantined to their homes and must take their temperature twice a day for 14 days.
Long-term care facilities
Of the county’s total coronavirus cases, 502 have been at long-term care facilities, which includes residents and staff members who live inside Jefferson County.
The county has had at least 17 COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities, the Health Department reported.
DHSS defines an outbreak as one or more residents testing positive for the virus or one or more staff members who have worked within a facility in the 14 days before testing positive.
Of the county’s 49 COVID-19 deaths, 37 have been in long term-care facilities, the Health Department reported.
The Health Department also reported that of the total number of cases at long-term care facilities, 191 are active ones, and 274 have been released from isolation. Residents in long-term care facilities go through two quarantine periods before being released from isolation.
