The Jefferson County Health Department reported five news cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus this evening (April 15), bringing the number of cases in the county to 144.
Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar said today that Festus Manor Care Center has had 16 positive cases and one coronavirus-related death, which is among the three deaths related to the disease that already had been reported in the county.
The outbreak at Festus Manor was first reported Sunday (April 12), with six cases and the one death.
Vollmar said another 45 Festus Manor residents and staff members have been tested for the virus, and those results are pending.
The Health Department said 80 of the county's positive cases are still active ones. In addition, the Health Department reported 61 recovered cases in the county, which means the person “met at least the minimum CDC criteria to be released from case management.”
Vollmar said the “three minimum criteria are that they (patients diagnosed with the disease) are seven days past the onset of their symptoms, they have improved symptoms and they are fever free for at least 72 hours. This does not mean they are totally symptom free, only that their symptoms have improved.”
According to the department’s dashboard on its website, the county has 69 male cases and 75 female cases.
The cases in the county include three people 10 or younger, 13 people in their 20s, 21 people in their 30s, 23 people in their 40s, 36 people in their 50s, 29 people in their 60s, 11 people in their 70s, three people in their 80s and five people in their 90s.
The cases have been reported for the following ZIP codes: 21 in 63010 (Arnold), seven in 63012 (Barnhart), seven in 63016 (Cedar Hill), three in 63019 (Crystal City), 10 in 63020 (De Soto), one in 63023 (Dittmer), four in 63025 (Eureka), 14 in 63026 (Fenton), 29 in 63028 (Festus), one in 63030 (Fletcher), three in 63048 (Herculaneum), nine in 63049 (High Ridge), six in 63050 (Hillsboro), nine in 63051 (House Springs), 14 in 63052 (Imperial), one in 63069 (Pacific) and five in 63070 (Pevely).
In addition, the Health Department reported it has monitored a total of 302 cases, and of those, 183 are still actively being monitored and another 119 have been released from monitoring.
Brianne Zwiener, the Health Department’s 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.
Zwiener said a person released from monitoring has completed the 14 days without a temperature or symptoms.
On April 2, the Health Department announced the county’s first death related to the coronavirus. The resident was a female in her 80s, who had been hospitalized, the Health Department reported.
On April 5, the Health Department announced a second coronavirus-related death in the county. The resident was a male in his 40s, who had been hospitalized, according to the report.
The Health Department announced the third coronavirus-related death April 10 – a female in her 90s, who had been hospitalized, according to the report.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends everyone wear a cloth face mask while in a public setting, according to its website.
On April 3, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson issued a statewide stay-at-home order that took effect April 6, and the county has issued a stay-at-home order that remains in effect until further notice.
The first three confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Jefferson County were announced March 23, and new cases have been announced everyday since then.
As of today, Missouri had 4,895 positive cases of the coronavirus and 147 deaths related to the disease, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The CDC reported the U.S. had 605,390 positive cases and a total of 24,582 deaths as of today.
Anyone who shows coronavirus symptoms or who has questions should call the Missouri State Hotline at 877-435-8411 or the Mercy Clinical Support Line at 314-251-0500. For more information about COVID-19, go to jeffcohealth.org/coronavirus-covid19.