JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — Jefferson County reported 240 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, the highest number of news cases reported in a single day.
According to data on its website, Jefferson County's positivity rate is at 27.52%, higher than the statewide rate of 20.6%.
The county reached its previous record of 200 new cases last week and traced some of the cases to Halloween parties.
The county reentered the "red status" earlier this month due to an increase in cases and rising positivity rate.
While the county issued guidelines meant to slow the spread, there are no mandates in Jefferson County when it comes to wearing masks or limiting business capacity.
The county's health director issued a plea Monday for residents to be more vigilant and proactive.
“It is imperative that we take the appropriate prevention measures to reduce the spread as much as possible," said Jefferson County Health Department Director Kelly Vollmar. "The weight now rests on residents taking personal responsibility for slowing the spread of the virus. Only through mass adoption of individual protective measures will we see a change in the trajectory of the growth of cases through the end of the year.”
Cases are rising in the St. Louis area and across the state.
Tuesday, the state reported a cumulative total of 216,697 cases of COVID-19, an increase of 4,256 cases from Monday's total of 212,441. That figure is well above the state's seven-day average of 3,454 cases.