ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported a slight uptick in new COVID-19 cases on Saturday.
The task force reported 24 new COVID-19 patients in BJC, Mercy, SSM and St. Luke's hospitals, which is up from 16 reported on Friday with data lagged two days.
The 24 new patients is the highest number from the task force in more than a week. On Thursday, the task force reported 11 new patients. That was the lowest number recorded since data had started being tracked back in April.
The seven-day moving average of hospital admissions also rose, from 18 Friday to 19 Saturday.
The seven-day moving average of hospitalizations decreased from 326 Friday to 325 Saturday.
Overall inpatient hospitalizations went down slightly from Friday to Saturday. There are now 309 COVID-19 patients in task force hospitals, compared to 316 on Friday. Thirty-two COVID-19 patients were discharged on Friday, bringing the overall total of patients discharged to 2,426.
The number of patients in ICU's increased from 68 Friday to 73 Saturday. There are also now 41 patients on ventilators, compared to 41 on Friday.
8 steps to stay healthy as cities reopen
Signs of what life was like before the coronavirus pandemic are beginning to make their way around St. Louis and St. Louis County.
But doctors say some of the changes we’ve made in our everyday lives need to stick around, possibly until a vaccine is approved.
“The virus hasn’t left. It hasn’t changed. It’s still here. It’s still very contagious and it’s still very dangerous,” Dr. Alex Garza said previously. He’s the incident commander of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force.
For weeks now, Dr. Garza has stressed the importance of social distancing, frequently washing hands and cleaning surfaces. He said as economies and businesses reopen, it’s especially important to continue those practices that helped slow the spread of COVID-19 in the St. Louis area.
“We also know that we’re never going to be at zero transmission until there’s a vaccine. So, we have to learn how to live with the virus and take all those important steps to keep it in check,” Dr. Garza said.
To help keep the coronavirus in check in the St. Louis area, Dr. Garza offered these eight steps to keep yourself, your loved ones and the entire community safe.
- Stay 6 feet apart from others – the exception being those you live with
- Wear a face mask in public
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Clean surfaces regularly, including phones, counters, light switches – anything that’s touched frequently
- Monitor yourself for signs of illness, contact your doctor if you’re experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
- Don’t gather with more than 10 people
- Stay at home if you’re vulnerable or at high risk of infection
- Don’t visit nursing homes or assisted-living facilities
“These are the steps we all need to make to keep the transmission rate low and to prevent the new surge in cases,” Dr. Garza said.
