Pettis County added 75 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 7,765, according to the Pettis County Health Center.
“The (Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services) website is reporting Pettis County has a positivity rate of 8.3% for the past seven days, which is a decrease from 8.6% for the last week with PCR testing,” the Pettis County COVID-19 Task Force briefing stated on Monday. “This week there were 349 PCR tests and 262 antigen tests for a total of 611. Last week there were 967 tests.”
According to the Pettis County Health Center, the groups with the highest number of new cases were 13-18-year-olds with 16, 5-12-year-olds with 10 and 0-4-year-olds with three. The next closest age group was 45-49-year-olds with eight. There were 29 individuals birth to 18 with positive cases reported in the week time period. Since July 1, 24.16% of total cases are in individuals 0-18 years of age which is an increase from the 23.51% reported last week
“Vaccine breakthrough rates for the week of Nov. 15-21 is 13 out of 83, which is 15.6% or 84.4% not vaccinated,” the briefing said. “There were five cases in February, two in April and the rest were one per month. There was one positive in a person receiving the booster dose.”
As of Thursday, there were 593 hospitalized in Missouri as compared to 996 hospitalized with COVID last week. There are 143 people in ICU and 84 on ventilators as compared to 243 people in ICU and 128 on ventilators last week.
There are nine individuals hospitalized at Bothwell Regional Health Center as compared to three last week. There are zero patients on a ventilator.
The DHSS website reports 110 deaths in Pettis County as compared to 105 last week. There has been a change in how deaths are being reported to include individuals with positive antigen tests. Reducing the number of COVID patients in the hospital is very important to have critical resources available for non-COVID cases.
Approximately 43.9% of the population of Pettis County residents have started vaccination. According to the state website, 18,578 Pettis County residents have started vaccination and 16,596 are considered fully vaccinated which is approximately 39.2% of the population. Pettis County is falling behind the state rate of 57.8% have started vaccination and 50.9% fully vaccinated. The state is reporting 69.1% of the population over 18 has started and 61.8% are fully vaccinated. For Pettis County, 55.2% of the population 18 and older have started vaccination (17,623) and 49.7% (15,866) are fully vaccinated.
According to the DHSS website, 12.6% (953) of 5-17-year-olds have started vaccination and 9.6% (729) are fully vaccinated. This is a new age category. For the 65 and older age group, 76.6% (5,550) have started vaccination and 70.3% (5,092) are considered fully vaccinated.
The majority of doses of vaccine given last week continue to be third or booster doses of Pfizer and Moderna.
Vaccines are available at AFC Urgent Care, some local pharmacies, at many community events as well as Katy Trail Community Health, Bothwell and Pettis County Health Center. All vaccines are free.
Booster doses of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine are available for everyone age 18 and older, six months after the last dose of Pfizer or Moderna and two months after the J&J vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for children 5-11 years of age. Parents who have questions should check with their child’s health care provider to receive answers about the vaccine and see if the vaccine is available at the health care provider’s office and right for their child. The Health Center is providing vaccines for children age 5 years and older.
Pettis County Health Center has regular walk-in clinics from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, from 8:30 a.m. to noon Thursdays and from noon to 3 p.m. Fridays. First doses are available as well as second doses and third/booster doses.
Katy Trail is offering Pfizer vaccine at the Sedalia location for both adults and children. Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson are available at all community events hosted by Katy Trail. To get more information about vaccines, visit www.katyhealth.org. Katy Trail is also providing flu vaccines for Katy Trail Community Health patients.
