The Warren County Health Department is tempering local expectations about the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, saying it may still be some time before vaccines are generally available.
The health …
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The Warren County Health Department is tempering local expectations about the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, saying it may still be some time before vaccines are generally available.
The health department said Monday that specific at-risk groups are the current vaccine distribution priority for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Those groups include health care providers who have the potential for exposure to COVID-19, as well as nursing home residents and staff. The state’s guidance for when other parts of the population can be vaccinated won’t be released until later this month.
“We understand the intense desire for many to know when you or your loved ones can receive the vaccine if you choose to do so,” Warren County health officials said Monday. “As soon as we are provided further guidance, we will notify the public immediately.”
In the meantime, the health department is asking residents to continue following guidelines to wear a mask in public, social distance, avoid gatherings and wash hands. Warren County continues to be identified as a hot spot for COVID cases by state health officials.
“We need to remain vigilant with these simple public health measures that are shown to reduce transmission (of the virus),” the health department said.
There are about 258 active COVID cases in Warren County as of Dec. 6, according to data from the county health department. There are 19 deaths here attributed to the disease.
Data provided by the health department also shows early warning signs of a near-future spike in cases. An automated data collection system that pulls hospital data from across the state shows Warren County as one of four areas where a future spike could be brewing.
The data is based on the average number of people reporting COVID-like symptoms during hospital visits. It doesn’t guarantee that all of the potential cases will be diagnosed as COVID, but is meant as an early warning for potential COVID outbreak areas.
Warren County remains designated as an “extreme risk” hot spot by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Data from the state health agency shows the percentage of local COVID tests returning positive is about 19%. However, the number of active cases has been coming down from a severe spike in November.
