Jefferson County Week 20 COVID Update

YELLOW Status | 7-day rolling average cases per day per 100,000 residents: 3.56 | Positivity Rate: 2.99%

CDC Week 20 Epidemiological Analysis: (from JCHD Epidemiologist, Sara Wilton)

There is a lot of good data to report this week! We are continuing to see a decline in our weekly case counts. One graph that stands out in the weekly report for school aged populations is the number of high school students who have tested positive compared to any other age group.  When you look at the age group that is now eligible for the vaccine – it accounts for 70% of our youth cases. 

Vaccination rates are slowly increasing- a little over 24% of the total population of Jefferson County has been fully vaccinated. Six additional breakthrough infections were reported this past week. One of the breakthrough cases went to the hospital for non-covid related reasons and was asymptomatic but tested positive upon admission.

COVID-19 Case Updates: (as of 5/26/2021)

• Total Cases: 23,717

  • Active Cases: 66

• Total Deaths: 248

  • No additional COVID deaths to report this week

CDC Week 20 Epi Reports:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f035cc9f745646c52342b9/t/60ae4f181db2f72f4ad088db/1622036248750/Week+20+Reports.pdf

CDC Week 20 Vaccine Report:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f035cc9f745646c52342b9/t/60ae4f48c24cce53c948bc12/1622036296931/JCHD_Covid19_Vaccine+Data_5.21.21.pdf

COVID-19 Vaccine Updates:

• JCHD has provided 22,128 doses total

  • 12,855 first doses (Moderna and Janssen)

  • 8,966 second doses (Moderna)

• JCHD COVID Vaccine Clinic registration is now open to all eligible Missourians

  • Registration links are on the Missouri Vaccine Navigator, www.covidvaccine.mo.gov/navigator

• 54,813, or 30.53%, of Jeffco residents have been fully vaccinated

• An estimated 185,536 JeffCo residents 14+ years old are eligible to receive the vaccine

  • Of that eligible population, 29.54% have been fully vaccinated

Jefferson County Week 19 COVID Update

YELLOW Status | 7-day rolling average cases per day per 100,000 residents: 6.35 | Positivity Rate: 3.92%

CDC Week 19 Epidemiological Analysis: (from JCHD Epidemiologist, Sara Wilton)

Cases are continuing to decline, and we had another week with a 7-day rolling average of cases per day per 100,000 residents low enough to remain in yellow status. Our new cases per 100,000 residents per week was at 44.44 at the end of week 19, which is also classified as yellow and is the lowest we have seen in that category since week 26 of last year (the week ending June 27, 2020).

Approximately 29.02% of residents have initiated vaccination against Covid-19 and 23.11% of residents have completed the full series and are considered fully vaccinated. We did add a few more breakthrough infections to our total- there are now 12 reported breakthrough cases. This is still only .02% of our full vaccinated residents (12 of 51,995), which is to be expected. While all the breakthrough cases have been symptomatic, none were severe enough to be hospitalized.

COVID-19 Case Updates: (as of 5/19/2021)

• Total Cases: 23,654     

  • Active Cases: 115

• Total Deaths: 248

  • We are reporting 4 additional COVID deaths this week; 2 Females-60’s, Male-60’s, Male-70’s

  • One previously reported death dropped off because the state case status was changed to probable

CDC Week 19 Epi Reports:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f035cc9f745646c52342b9/t/60a51b47d9e07e2ed69a2efa/1621433159695/Week+19+Reports.pdf

CDC Week 19 Vaccine Report:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f035cc9f745646c52342b9/t/60a51b661a74bd0fe528e0a3/1621433190252/JCHD_Covid19_Vaccine+Data_5.14.21.pdf

COVID-19 Vaccine Updates:

• JCHD has provided 21,658 doses total

  • 12,759 first doses (Moderna and Janssen)

  • 8,502 second doses (Moderna)

• JCHD COVID Vaccine Clinic registration is now open to all eligible Missourians

  • Registration links are on the Missouri Vaccine Navigator

• 51,995, or 23.11%, of Jeffco residents have been fully vaccinated

• An estimated 173,475 JeffCo residents 18+ years old are eligible to receive the vaccine

  • Of that eligible population, 29.97% have been fully vaccinated

Jefferson County Week 18 COVID Update

YELLOW Status | 7-day rolling average cases per day per 100,000 residents: 7.87 | Positivity Rate: 5.02%

CDC Week 18 Epidemiological Analysis: (from JCHD Epidemiologist, Sara Wilton)

Our 7-day rolling average of cases per day (17.71 cases/day) shows that we are in yellow status as of today, May 11. Due to possible delays in reporting, it is possible that number may change, so we need to be cautiously optimistic about the yellow status until final numbers are in next week.

 Our total number of diagnostic tests decreased 17% from the week prior (from 899 tests per 100k residents per week to 744 tests per 100k residents per week). The transmission in our community is still quite high and despite the declining trends, there remains a need for more testing to curb transmission.

Confirmed and probable cases are slowly continuing to decrease. During week 18, our 0–9-year age group experienced the highest increase in cases; 1.44% increase over the past 7 days. One additional breakthrough infection was reported this past week for a total of 8 cases out of 46,570 residents who are fully vaccinated (.02%). Zero of these breakthrough cases were known to be hospitalized and zero have died.

 COVID-19 Case Updates: (as of 5/11/2021)

• Total Cases: 23,543     

  • Active Cases: 156

• Total Deaths: 245

  • No additional COVID deaths reported this week

CDC Week 18 Epi Reports:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f035cc9f745646c52342b9/t/609af62df17e4c1d7d684ab8/1620768302235/Week+18+Reports.pdf

 CDC Week 18 Vaccine Report:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f035cc9f745646c52342b9/t/609af64c11110d615134da5e/1620768332758/JCHD_Covid19_Vaccine+Data_5.6.21.pdf

 COVID-19 Vaccine Updates:

• JCHD has provided 21,625 doses total

  • 12,732 first doses (Moderna and Janssen)

  • 8,496 second doses (Moderna)

• JCHD COVID Vaccine Clinic registration is now open to all eligible Missourians

  • Registration links are on the Missouri Vaccine Navigator, www.covidvaccine.mo.gov/navigator

• 46,570, or 20.70%, of Jeffco residents have been fully vaccinated

• An estimated 173,475 JeffCo residents 18+ years old are eligible to receive the vaccine

  • Of that eligible population, 26.85% have been fully vaccinated

May is Mental Health Month

This past year presented so many different challenges and obstacles that tested our strength and resiliency. The global pandemic forced us to cope with situations we never even imagined, and a lot of us struggled with our mental health as a result. The good news is that there are tools and resources available that can support the well-being of individuals and communities.

Now, more than ever, we need to combat the stigma surrounding mental health concerns. That’s why this Mental Health Month we are highlighting #Tools2Thrive - what individuals can do throughout their daily lives to prioritize mental health, build resiliency, and continue to cope with the obstacles of COVID-19.

Throughout the pandemic, many people who had never experienced mental health challenges found themselves struggling for the first time. During the month of May, we are focusing on different topics that can help process the events of the past year and the feelings that surround them, while also building up skills and supports that extend beyond COVID-19.

We know that the past year forced many to accept tough situations that they had little to no control over. If you found that it impacted your mental health, you aren’t alone. In fact, of the almost half a million individuals that took the anxiety screening at MHAscreening.org, 79% showed symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety. However, there are practical tools that can help improve your mental health. We are focused on managing anger and frustration, recognizing when trauma may be affecting your mental health, challenging negative thinking patterns, and making time to take care of yourself.

It’s important to remember that working on your mental health and finding tools that help you thrive takes time. Change won’t happen overnight. Instead, by focusing on small changes, you can move through the stressors of the past year and develop long-term strategies to support yourself on an ongoing basis.

A great starting point for anyone who is ready to start prioritizing their mental health is to take a mental health screening at MHAscreening.org. It’s a quick, free, and confidential way for someone to assess their mental health and begin finding hope and healing.

Ultimately, during this month of May, Jefferson County Health Department wants to remind everyone that mental illnesses are real, and recovery is possible. By developing your own #Tools2Thrive, it is possible to find balance between life’s ups and downs and continue to cope with the challenges brought on by the pandemic.

For more information, worksheets, and resources, visit www.mhanational.org/may.

Jefferson County Health Department Shifts Focus to Smaller, Mobile COVID Vaccine Clinics

Jefferson County Health Department (JCHD) will close their Festus COVID-19 vaccination site effective June 15th. The last vaccine clinic at this location will be hosted on June 1st; a second dose clinic for those who received a first dose on May 4.  

Jefferson County Health Department Board of Trustees voted in approval to rent the space for COVID-19 vaccination clinics back in March 2021. Since then, Jefferson County Health Department has provided 7,334 vaccine doses at the Festus vaccination site which makes up 37% of the total number of vaccines provided by JCHD.  

“This location has served it’s intended purpose and we are grateful to Jones Festus Properties, Missouri National Guard, the cities of Festus and Crystal City, and our volunteers and staff for their partnership and dedication,” states Jefferson County Health Department Director, Kelley Vollmar.

Going forward, Jefferson County Health Department will focus their future vaccination efforts out of their High Ridge location and mobile clinics throughout the county. “It’s important to make sure we are continuing to meet the needs of the community,” states Director Vollmar.

“We recognize as we continue to navigate our pandemic response, needs will change and that is what we are seeing now. We will begin to focus on providing smaller, mobile vaccine clinics on site at community locations and businesses to ensure vaccine is available and accessible to all interested residents.”

Individuals interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine can visit www.jeffcohealth.org/covid19-vaccine for more information.  Jefferson County businesses and organizations interested in hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic can complete the inquiry form at this link https://jeffcohealth.jotform.com/211236278052046, also found on the JCHD website.