Jefferson County remains in the highest alert status of red today with the seven-day rolling average of cases per day/per 100,000 residents topping out at 95.05, making it the highest seven-day rolling average recorded in Jefferson County since the onset of the pandemic in March.
Jefferson County continues to climb in COVID-19 cases reporting 656 additional COVID-19 cases over the weekend. Jefferson County also reported the highest number of cases in a single day on Friday, November 13th with 333 cases. As of today, November 17, there are 3,309 active cases and 1,558 individuals actively quarantined as contacts to a positive case.
“The time to act is now,” states Director Vollmar. “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.”
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%,” states JCHD Epidemiologist, Sara Wilton. “The positive case growth is significantly outpacing our testing growth which is similar to what is currently happening across the Midwest.”
With the upcoming holiday season, there is a higher risk for COVID-19 spread. Informal social gatherings, like holiday parties, are ideal transmission sites for the virus because people let their guard down; not wearing a mask or social distancing because they are with people they know and presume to be safe exposures.
Adoption of individual protection measures can make an impact in these numbers. Jefferson County Health Department strongly encourages residents to practice diligent 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
