Full Notification

PETTIS COUNTY COVID-19 TASK FORCE BRIEFING
July 5, 2022

(Note:  Update from Pettis County Health Department only.  No conference call held this week due to the holiday)
 
To communicate openly with county residents, this compilation of information from essential government service providers within Pettis County will be disseminated on Mondays.  This briefing will continue to be provided throughout the COVID-19 event.
 
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of either the Pettis County Sheriff's Office or the County of Pettis.
 
HEALTH
Pettis County Health Department
 
A new website is available for tracking COVID-19 data at the county level.  The CDC site is https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home   The site is primarily updated on Thursday.  Some information is updated daily. The DHSS site is updated on Friday.  https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus
 
During the week of June 27- July 4, there were 65 new cases reported.  Last week there were 39.
 
As of July 4 there are 12,448 positive cases reported to Pettis County Health Center. The case count per 100,000 for the past 7 days is 92.11/100,000 (through June 30) as compared to 158.25/100,000 last week, using the CDC website.  There were 27 new cases since July 1.  There were 87 tests done for Pettis County residents last week.
 
The case counts by age will be posted on the Pettis County Health Center Facebook page and website.
 
The vaccine breakthrough for the period June 20 – July 4 is 72 out of 150 or 48%.  Of those who were positive, 36 had received a booster dose.
 
Influenza cases are slowing down. The total count reported this season is 1096.   During the entire 20-21 influenza season there were less than 10 reported cases. 
 
As of June 29, there were 762 hospitalized in Missouri with COVID as compared to 816 hospitalized with COVID last week.  There are 87 people in ICU as compared to 72 people in ICU last week. 
According to the latest information Omicron accounts for 100% of the variant reported in the sewer shed report.   The viral load for Sedalia Central has shown a significant increase in the viral load for last week.  This generally indicates there will be an increase in cases.   Information is posted on the DHSS website  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf  
Pettis County is currently in the green or low risk category.  However, the Kansas City Region is now listed as high risk. Cooper, Henry Johnson and Lafayette counties are also medium risk.  The St. Louis and Kansas City areas are listed as high. There were significant number of cases posted since the last CDC update. The guidance for a low risk county is as following: Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Get tested if you have symptoms. Wear a mask on public transportation. Wear a mask if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19.  You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others. If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and taking additional precautions.    Information about the risk factor assessment, can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html
The CDC guidance for testing positive or being exposed continues as follows:   Everyone who tests positive needs to stay home for 5 days from the test date then wear a mask for 5 more days if they have no symptoms or significantly improved symptoms.  Everyone who is still ill or has a fever must stay home until symptoms get better.   For individuals who are exposed to a positive case (within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more in a 24 hour period of time) – fully vaccinated individuals (this includes having a booster more than 2 weeks ago or within the first 5 months after completing the 2 dose series or 2 months for the 1 dose series) must wear a mask around others for 10 days and should test at day 5 after the last exposure.   For the unvaccinated or eligible people who have not had a booster, stay home for 5 days and wear a mask when around other people for another 5 days.  If you develop symptoms, get a test and stay home.  This information is particularly important for people using home tests where the Health Center staff will not be speaking with individuals who do not report home tests. The health.mo.gov website has a CDC tracker to determine isolation and quarantine.
The vaccination rate for Pettis County is as follows:
                                                                One dose                            Fully vaccinated                                Up to date with booster
Entire County                                    49.9% (21,132)                   43.2% (18,308)                   40.9% (7,486)
Age 12 and over                               58.8% (20,802)                   51.0% (18,058)                   41.4% (7,482)
Age 18 and over                               61.8% (19,719)                   53.8% (17,158)                   42.9% (7,356)
Age 65 and over                               80.1% (5,805)                     72.4% (5,246)                     66.5% (3,489)
 
The numbers are from the CDC website and do not include a separate category for the 5-17 category.
 
Hospitalization numbers are not available this week.  There was 1 new death reported this week that occurred in May.
Vaccine is available for everyone 6 months of age and older. Pettis County Health Center has the newest vaccine for children starting at 6 months of age.  The vaccine will be provided on Tuesdays during the regular COVID clinic.  Modern and Pfizer vaccines are now available for younger children.    Contact the Health Center or your family medical provider for information on all types of available vaccine. All vaccines are free at the Health Center.   There is a charge for uninsured at BRHC.    Pettis County Health Center provides vaccine for individuals at home.  Call 660-827-1130 to make arrangements.
A second booster dose is available for anyone 50 years of age or older or those with conditions that compromise the immune system 4 months after the 1^st booster.
Pettis County Health Center has regular walk in clinics on Tuesdays from 9-5:15 pm.   We are available to provide vaccine to individuals at home and at places of employment.   If there is an increased demand for vaccine, we will provide additional opportunities.  We encourage people who have not received a booster to bring their vaccination status up to date.
If you know someone who is struggling with mental health issues, please share the information on help that is available.    Burrell has a crisis line at 1-800-395-2132.  Compass Health also has a crisis line at 1-800-237-4567 for substance abuse issue

Instructions:

Look for the COVID-19 Task Force Briefing each Monday, beginning June 1, 2020. The next scheduled briefing is Monday, July 11, 2022.