The Jefferson County Health Department reported another COVID-19-related death today (March 17), but the number of deaths in the county since the pandemic began will remain at 229 because a previously reported death was changed to “probable” and removed from the total, Health Department officials reported in a written statement.
The death reported today is a woman in her 90s. The previously reported death that was removed from the total was a woman in her 80s, according to a press release.
Health Department communications specialist Brianne Zwiener said the agency no longer will provide a breakdown of cases reported each day.
However, the county has had a total of 21,628 COVID-19 cases since the first ones were reported in March 2020, according to the Health Department.
Of those cases, 1,337 have been from long-term care facilities, the Health Department reported.
Yellow status
For the second week in a row, Jefferson County is in the yellow status on the Health Department’s four-color warning system.
Yellow is the second lowest level on the four-color system and indicates minimal to moderate transmission of the virus, according to the Health Department.
Several factors are evaluated when determining the color level, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and White House Pandemic Task Force guidelines. However, the main indicator is the seven-day rolling average number of cases per day per 100,000 people.
The rolling average number of cases for the week of March 7 to March 13 was 8.63. That is down from the previous week, when the seven-day rolling average was 9.71 per day per 100,000 people in the county, which has a population of about 225,000.
Vaccines
The Health Department reported today that 14,347 county residents, or 6.38 percent of them, have been fully vaccinated with one of the COVID-19 vaccines.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 13.1 percent of Jefferson County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and a total of 43,627 doses have been administered to county residents.
The Health Department reported that it had administered 5,932 COVID-19 vaccinations of either the first dose of the Moderna vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as well as 705 second doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Health Department officials said they expect to provide another 700 Moderna vaccines this week.
Anyone who wants to get the vaccine through the Health Department must first sign up for it by completing an interest survey at jeffcohealth.org. Then, the Health Department will contact people who sign up to make an appointment when they’re eligible for the vaccine under the state’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan and vaccines are available for them.
People without internet access may call the Health Department registration line at 636-789-8941.
Comtrea, which also offers health care services around the county, has upcoming vaccine clinics, too, including first-dose clinics on March 23 and March 30.
Nathanael Herbert, Comtrea’s marketing communications manager, said 400 vaccines will be provided at each of those clinics.
He said starting in April, Comtrea will offer 400 second doses every Wednesday in Festus and Arnold, with 200 second doses given at each location.
Comtrea also gives all vaccines by appointment only and will contact people who have registered for the vaccine and who are eligible to receive it under the state’s distribution plan to set up the appointments.
To register with Comtrea, visit comtrea.org/vaccine-inquiry.
As of today, only those who are included in Phase 1A, Phase 1B Tier 1, Phase 1B Tier 2 and IB Tier 3 of the state’s vaccine distribution plan may receive the vaccines. However, the Health Department said it is still focusing on vaccinating those from the earliest three phases.
For more information about the state’s vaccine plan, go to covidvaccine.mo.gov.
Mercy also has created an online sign-up method to help distribute vaccines to those eligible under the state’s vaccination plan. To sign up with Mercy, go to mercy.net/MOVaccine.
Other hospital systems and pharmacies also are registering people for the vaccines.
