JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — Jefferson County health officials are urging residents to act now as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in the area.
The county remains in the highest alert status of 'red' with the seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases per day/per 100,000 residents at 95.05, which makes it the highest seven-day rolling average recorded in Jefferson County since the start of the pandemic, according to the health department.
Over the weekend, Jefferson County reported 656 additional cases. The county also reported its highest number of cases in a single day on Nov. 13 with 333 cases. As of Nov. 17, there are 3,309 active cases and 1,558 people quarantined as contacts to a positive case.
In August, Jefferson County Health Center Board of Trustees voted in favor of a mandate, but within 24 hours it was overturned in an emergency meeting.
“The time to act is now,” Jefferson County health director Kelley Vollmar said Tuesday. “Our public health workers and hospital staff are overwhelmed and exhausted. There are no ‘relief teams’ to bring in. The pandemic has exhausted our healthcare resources to the point of collapse.”
The health department said another indication of uncontrolled spread within the community is when case growth outpaces the testing growth.
“Looking back at CDC Week 45, Jefferson County data shows that our cases grew by 58% and our testing only grew by 17%,” JCHD Epidemiologist, Sara Wilton said. “The positive case growth is significantly outpacing our testing growth which is similar to what is currently happening across the Midwest.”
Jefferson County Health Department strongly encourages residents to practice prevention measures as a matter of personal responsibility:
- Limit unnecessary travel and contact with others outside of the home
- Avoid crowds and minimize social gatherings
- Practice 6-foot physical distancing
- Wear a mask when in public as recommended by the CDC
- Practice proper hygiene (cough etiquette, hand washing) and disinfection protocols
- Stay home if you are sick
St. Louis County's new COVID-19 restrictions went into effect on Tuesday. The county is next to Jefferson County. Below are the new orders in St. Louis County:
- Safer at home – residents urged to stay home and only go out for essentials or necessary business
- Face mask changes – all residents 6 years old and older required to wear masks in public
- Isolation and quarantine changes – residents asked to take personal responsibility in reaching out to close contacts after being diagnosed with COVID-19, residents should not wait for a call from contact tracers to quarantine or isolate
