Today, the Jefferson County Health Department moved the county back into the red status on its COVID-19 warning system – the highest level on the four-color system.
The red level indicates widespread and uncontrolled transmission.
Several factors are evaluated when determining the status, 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 of cases per day/per 100,000 residents.
If the county, which has a population of about 225,000 people, has a rolling average of 25 or more cases per day per 100,000 residents, it is moved to the red level.
“Our rolling average hit 42.73, well over the 25-case threshold to move to red,” Jefferson County Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar said today (Nov. 2). “In the last week, an additional 673 cases of COVID-19 have been added, which is an 87 percent increase from the previous week.”
With the county moving from the orange level to the red level again, more mitigation steps to limit the spread of the virus are recommended.
“With the holiday season approaching, there is a higher risk for COVID-19 spread,” Vollmar said. “Our concern is case contacts or undiagnosed positive COVID-19 individuals unintentionally spreading COVID-19 to their more vulnerable family members.
“It is imperative that we take the appropriate prevention measures to reduce the spread as much as possible.”
The Health Department advises people to limit unnecessary travel and contact with others outside of their homes; to avoid crowds and minimize social gatherings; to practice 6-foot physical distancing; to wear a mask when in public; to practice proper hygiene (cough etiquette, hand washing) and disinfection protocols; and to stay home if you are sick.
County COVID stats
The Health Department reported 361 new cases since Oct. 30.
Of those, 199 cases were from Oct. 30, which is the highest number of cases reported in a single day since the first cases were reported in March.
Another 92 cases were from Saturday (Oct. 31), and 70 new cases were reported through midnight Sunday (Nov. 1), according to the Health Department.
The county has had a total of 6,689 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, the Health Department reported.
As of Sunday night, 1,232 of the county’s total cases were active ones, which includes lab-confirmed cases and probable cases.
Of the 6,689 cases in the county, 6,162 were lab confirmed and 527 were probable cases. A case is considered probable when a person has been exposed to a positive case and is exhibiting symptoms, the Health Department reported.
A total of 1,363 people is in quarantine, which means a person has a confirmed exposure to the virus and is in the process of completing a 14-day quarantine period.
A total of 5,350 people has been released from isolation, according to the Health Department.
Of the county’s total coronavirus cases, 701 had been at long-term care facilities, which includes residents and staff members who live in Jefferson County.
Of the county’s 84 COVID-19-related deaths, 53 have been connected to long-term care facilities.
The county has had at least 20 COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities, according to the Health Department.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (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.
State, U.S. stats
Missouri has had 188,186 positive cases of the coronavirus and 3,031 deaths related to the disease, the DHSS reported today.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the U.S. has had 9,182,628 cases, and a total of 230,383 coronavirus-related deaths, reported 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, visit jeffcohealth.org/coronavirus-covid19.
November 03, 2020 at 08:06AM
https://www.myleaderpaper.com/coronavirus/county-is-in-red-level-again-following-673-new-covid-19-cases-last-week/article_dc88ef80-1d70-11eb-b000-3f19f2fa41c2.html
County is in red level again, following 673 new COVID-19 cases last week - Leader Publications
https://news.google.com/search?q=Red&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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