Pettis County added 36 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 11,789, according to the Pettis County Health Center.
There are a number of cases that are being reported without lab data, so the weekly count is underestimating those results.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website is posting 11,804 positive cases for Pettis County.
“The DHSS website is reporting Pettis County has a positivity rate of 6.3% for the past seven days as compared to 15.6% for last week with PCR testing,” the Pettis County COVID-19 Task Force briefing stated on Tuesday. “The case count per 100,000 for the past seven days is 38/100,000. This week there were 406 PCR tests and 222 antigen tests for a total of 628. Last week there were 1,019 tests. At this time, the counts do not include home test results.”
The vaccine breakthrough for the week ending Feb. 27 is 25 out of 50 cases counted for a breakthrough rate of 50%. Of the vaccinated cases, 10 had received a booster dose.
Influenza cases continue to increase.
As of Feb. 28, there were 704 cases of influenza reported.
As of Friday, there were 1,323 hospitalized in Missouri with COVID as compared to 1.645 hospitalized with COVID last week. There are 247 people in ICU as compared to 333 people in ICU last week.
The CDC has released new guidance regarding mask wearing based on the risk for your county. Pettis County is in the yellow or medium risk category. The guidance for a medium risk county is as follows: If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your health care provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions, stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if you have symptoms. Information about the risk factor assessment can be found at https://bit.ly/3sxNbkY.
There are four individuals hospitalized at Bothwell Regional Health Center as compared to 10 last week. There are no patients on a ventilator. Sixty percent of those hospitalized were not vaccinated.
The DHSS website reports 120 deaths in Pettis County with a confirmed PCR test and 31 deaths with a positive antigen test. This is an increase of six since last week. Three additional cases were reported this week.
Approximately 47.1% of the population of Pettis County residents have started vaccination. According to the state website, 19,943 Pettis County residents have started vaccination and 17,888 have had at least two doses, which is approximately 42.2% of the population. Pettis County is falling behind the state rate of 63.2% who have started vaccination and 56.1% have received at least two doses. The state is reporting 74.2% of the population over 18 has started and 66.1% have received at least 2 doses. For Pettis County, 58.7% of the population 18 and over have started vaccination (18,714) and 52.8% (16,845) have received at least two doses. According to the DHSS website, 16.2% (1227) of 5-17-year-olds have started vaccination and 13.6% (1,042) have received two doses. For the 65 and older age group, 79.9% (5,791) have started vaccination and 72.9 % (5,278) have received at least two doses. There were 113 Pettis County residents who received a vaccine last week.
Pettis County Health Center has regular walk in clinics from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays. PCHC can provide vaccines to homebound individuals and at places of employment. The health center encourages people who have not received a booster to bring their vaccination status up to date.
Beginning Wednesday, March 2, Bothwell will relax its visitor restrictions in the hospital and clinics and return to pre-COVID-19 visiting hours in the hospital. While the CDC has relaxed masking in indoor settings for communities, the guidance does not apply to health care settings where universal masking is still required.
There will be no restrictions on the number of visitors for COVID-negative patients in inpatient nursing units in the hospital and visiting hours will return to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Visitors will continue to not be allowed for hospital patients who are COVID-19 positive or awaiting test results. Exceptions may be made for care purposes, end-of-life, special circumstances or patients who are children or who have disabilities.
The Emergency Department and Same-Day Surgery will allow one visitor at a time per patient at bedside due to space constraints. Cancer Center outpatients may have one support person at a time in the cancer infusion locations.
Women’s Health and Newborn Care has differing policies for its three units that include Labor and Delivery, postpartum room and NICU depending on a patient’s health status. In Labor and Delivery, COVID-negative patients may designate two birth support persons who are welcome at all times. COVID-positive patients may designate one birth support person who is welcome at all times. These designated individuals must remain the same throughout the labor and delivery process. COVID testing for birth support persons has been suspended.
Once Labor and Delivery patients have been transferred to postpartum rooms, COVID-negative patients may have unlimited visitors with a maximum of three people recommended in the room at one time. COVID-positive patients may have only their designated birth support person who was present in Labor and Delivery. Only the mother and her primary designated support person are allowed in the NICU Nursery.
All visitors should enter the hospital through the main entrance. Upon entering the hospital, all visitors are required to wear a surgical-grade or higher mask. Visitors should practice good hand hygiene, social distancing and take precautions when in contact with others. People who feel ill or have virus-like symptoms should not visit patients in the hospital.
The hospital’s Southwest doors will remain closed except for Cardiac Rehab patients arriving for designated appointments.
Visitors may also accompany outpatient clinic patients, however, patients and guests are still required to wear surgical-grade or higher masks when inside clinic buildings.
The Bothwell Cafeteria is open to employees, volunteers and patient visitors.
Due to a decrease in demand for outpatient COVID-19 treatments, Bothwell is closing its centralized outpatient management clinic and treatments will instead be ordered by local physicians from their clinics. Treatment is for people with a confirmed positive COVID-19 test who have a particularly high risk of progressing to more severe disease. These medications can significantly reduce the risk of deterioration, but only if used soon after onset of symptoms. By the time a patient’s condition has worsened, it is too late to use these preventative treatments.
People who test positive need a prescription/order from a local physician. Contact your health care professional as quickly as possible after testing positive. Two of the medications can only be started within five days of onset of symptoms. People can no longer self-refer for infusions by calling the hospital.
This week’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic for the Pfizer two-dose primary series and booster doses is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 2 at Bothwell Healing Arts Center on the second floor.
Katy Trail Community Health is providing Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to community members from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays at 816 Westwood Drive.
