The Warren County Health Department says there are some reasons for optimism with local COVID-19 cases, but that everyone needs to continue practicing health protections to see further improvement.
…
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, or you are a print subscriber who had access to our previous wesbite, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you have not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber and did not have a user account on our previous website, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
The Warren County Health Department says there are some reasons for optimism with local COVID-19 cases, but that everyone needs to continue practicing health protections to see further improvement.
Stacey White with the health department stated during a public presentation on Tuesday that the local positivity rate — the number of people who get a COVID test and have a positive result — has dropped from over 20-percent average down to 7.2 percent.
“That’s great news. We had been hanging at 20 to 23 percent for weeks,” White commented. “That just really started coming down over the last week. We’d like to see that trend for at least two weeks before we make any changes.”
The daily number of new COVID cases detected locally has also dropped, from more than 20 to about 10 cases per day, White said. However, she said none of the county health department’s recommendations for COVID quarantines or guidelines will change at this time.
White said the county health department is currently seeking more opportunities for residents to get vaccines, and the department was recently approved as a vaccine distribution site.
“We do not have vaccine at this time. ... (But) I plan on ordering vaccine this next week. Hopefully we’ll get some allocated to us,” White said. “We’ll find out on Saturday if we’re going to get some or not. You don’t always get what you order.”
If the county health department receives doses, they should come within seven days of approval, White explained. If that happens, the health department would plan to hold an appointment-based vaccine clinic in February.
White added that the county is developing an online pre-registration system for people to sign up for vaccinations with the health department. It isn’t quite ready yet, but White said she hopes the system goes online in the coming days.
But even after people get vaccinated, health officials are stressing that everyone should continue to follow mask and social distancing guidelines.
“Even if you’ve been vaccinated, that just protects you from getting the moderate to severe illness. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t get the virus and you won’t pass it to others,” White explained.
Adam Crumbliss, with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said a new variant of the coronavirus recently detected in Missouri is a reminder that this virus is going to be an ongoing challenge for some time to come.
“To put it in a sports analogy, looking at where we are with the virus right now, we’re at about the fifth inning. And it can go either way in each inning,” Crumbliss said. “It’s really important to continue with those things we’re all tired of, which is the social distancing, the masking.”
Crumbliss said data currently shows Missouri with the ninth-lowest number of COVID cases per person, compared to other states. He said that’s positive news, but not a reason to become lax on health safeguards.
