The Jefferson County Health Department has reported four more COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the total number of county residents who have died from the virus to 371 since the pandemic began.
Those seven deaths include a man in his 60s, a woman in her 70s, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 90s.
Two of those deaths were connected to long-term care facilities.
During the week of Dec. 5 to Dec. 11, the county had 855 new cases, down from the previous week when there were 871 new COVID-19 cases.
Of the most recent 855 new cases, 75.91 percent was among unvaccinated people, and 24.09 percent was breakthrough cases, meaning cases among those who had been vaccinated, according to the Health Department.
As of today (Dec. 16), the county had seen a total of 36,908 coronavirus cases since the first ones were reported in March 2020, the report said.
Red status
For the 21st consecutive week, the county is in the red status on the Health Department’s COVID-19 warning system.
The number of cases per 100,000 people for Dec. 5 to Dec. 11 was 380, which was down from the previous week when there were 387.11 new cases per 100,000 people, the Health Department reported.
The county’s percentage of positive COVID-19 tests for Dec. 5 to Dec. 11 was 14.5 percent, which was down from the prior week when it was 15.37 percent.
The Health Department uses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) metrics to set the color level, and the community status is calculated using both the seven-day total of new cases per 100,000 residents and the percentage of positive tests. If the metrics have different color levels, the Health Department uses the higher color in the four-color system to determine the county color status.
Both metrics are in red, so the county remains in the red status.
Flu
The Health Department reported 48 new flu cases for the week of Dec. 5 to Dec. 11, bringing the current season total to 125 cases, the Health Department reported. During the previous week, from Nov. 28 to Dec. 4, 41 cases were reported, which was the first time more than 10 cases had been reported in one week this season.
So far this season, a total of 103 type A flu cases and 22 type B cases have been reported.
“Flu A cases are starting to pick up this year,” said Sara Wilton, the Health Department’s epidemiologist. “We will watch the next few weeks’ data closely to analyze if we are going to be experiencing an earlier peak than usual.”
No flu deaths have been reported this season, which began Oct. 3 and runs through May 21, 2022.
According to the Department of Health and Senior Services, the state had reported a total of 1,373 flu cases as of Dec. 4. Also, one flu death and outbreak had been reported in Missouri, according to DHSS.
Vaccines
Health officials urge residents to get vaccinated against both COVID-19 and the flu and to take other steps to limit the spread of the both, including frequent hand-washing, wearing masks and social distancing.
As of today, 46.48 percent of Jefferson County residents was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which was up slightly from the week before, when 45.85 percent was vaccinated, according to the Health Department.
Health officials also recommend anyone who is 18 and older to get a COVID-19 booster vaccine.
As of today, 11.29 percent of people have received their booster vaccine, according to the Health Department.
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.
