The Jefferson County Health Department announced three COVID-19-related deaths today (Jan. 13), bringing the county’s total number of deaths from the disease to 153 since the pandemic started.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of those who have passed,” Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar said. “We continue to strongly encourage preventative measures such as handwashing, mask wearing, and physical distancing in order to reduce the risk of transmission within our communities.”
The three latest deaths include two men in their 70s and a man in his 80s, and none of the three deaths was connected to a long-term care facility in the county, according to the Health Department.
Of the 153 COVID-19 deaths in the county, 64 have been from long-term care facilities, the Health Department reported.
The Health Department also reported 127 new COVID-19 cases today, for a total of 18,864 since the first cases were reported in March.
The county has an estimated 1,018 active cases, the Health Department reported.
Brianne Zwiener, communications specialist with the Health Department, said the Health Department doesn’t follow up with all cases anymore, and the number of active cases is meant to give the public a “general estimate.”
Of the county’s total coronavirus cases, 1,222 have been at long-term care facilities, which includes residents and staff members who live in Jefferson County.
Color status
The county remains at the red level on the Health Department’s COVID-19 warning system for the 11th consecutive week.
Red is the highest level on the Health Department’s four-color system and indicates widespread and uncontrolled transmission of the virus.
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. If the county has a rolling average of 25 or more cases per day per 100,000 residents, it is moved to the red level.
From Jan. 3 through Jan. 9, the seven-day rolling average number of cases in the county was 83.81 per day per 100,000 people in the county, which has a population of about 225,000.
The rolling average is up from the previous week, when it was 68.25 per day per 100,000 residents, the Health Department reported.
Vaccines
On Monday (Jan. 11), the Health Department reported it would work with Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City and Comtrea, which provides health care services around the county, to plan “unified efforts” for COVID-19 vaccine distribution to county residents.
The Health Department announced Tuesday (Jan. 12) that representatives from the agency, along with representatives from the hospital, Comtrea and the county government, would discuss the logistics behind vaccine planning during a Facebook Live session this week, but the date has been changed to Wednesday (Jan. 20). The public may view the video on the Health Department’s Facebook page.
The planning efforts will include developing a communication plan to inform residents about when they may receive vaccines, as well as a registration system to get the vaccines.
The three organizations are required to follow state guidelines about distributing vaccines to priority populations first.
Jeana Vidacak, the Health Department’s public health preparedness coordinator, said the agency is an approved vaccination site and hopes to soon receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by the end of January or the start of February.
The state currently is in Phase 1A of its four-phase distribution plan.
Phase 1A includes patient-facing health care workers; staff who come into contact with patients; and long-term care facility staff and residents, according to the Health Department.
Mercy Jefferson started vaccinating staff on Dec. 15, and county long-term care facilities are working with CVS and Walgreens to vaccinate residents and staff.
The next phase is 1B and includes high-risk people who are 18 to 64 years old; people older than 65; first responders; and essential workers.
Phase 2 includes populations at increased risk, which includes prisoners and homeless people. The last phase, which is Phase 3, includes all Missouri residents.
