Pettis County added 81 cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 5,367, according to the Pettis County Health Center.
According to the Pettis County COVID-19 Task Force briefing issued Monday, there are three individuals with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bothwell Regional Health Center including three on a ventilator. All patients will be tested upon admission.
“The DHSS website is reporting Pettis County has a positivity rate of 16.8% for the past seven days. There were 280 PCR tests and 283 antigen tests in the past seven days,” the briefing said. “The local data indicates for the week of July 1-7 there were 86 positive tests and 501 negative tests for a positivity rate of 14.65% and a rate of 203.12/100,000.”
The briefing states a small number of fully vaccinated individuals are testing positive.
Pettis County has now vaccinated approximately 32.4% of the population with at least one dose. According to the briefing, the state website lists 13,720 Pettis County residents have received one dose and 12,095 are considered fully vaccinated, which is approximately 28.6% of the population. Pettis County is falling behind the state rate of 45.3% with at least one dose and 39.7% fully vaccinated. The state is reporting 55.7% of the population over 18 has at least one dose of vaccine and 49.3% are fully vaccinated. Last week, 381 doses were given to Pettis County residents.
Vaccines are available at AFC Urgent Care, local pharmacies, at many community events as well as Katy Trail Community Health, Bothwell and Pettis County Health Center. All vaccines are free. Pettis County Health Center has regular walk-in clinics from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays. First doses are available as well as second doses for those unable to make their second dose appointment. Call 660-827-1130 to register, but appointments are not required.
OATS is providing transportation to vaccine clinics free of charge. To schedule transportation, call 1-800-276-6287.
Bothwell will offer doses one and two from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 14 at Bothwell Internal Medicine and from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 15 at Bothwell Truman Lake in Warsaw.
“Effective July 12, visitor access to the hospital is limited to only the front entrance or the Emergency Department, and all visitors through the front entrance will need to check in with Security,” the briefing said. “Security is also monitoring each entrance for proper mask-wearing and numbers of visitors per patient. We are limiting our entry points into the hospital due to the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 to further protect all of our patients and employees.”
Bothwell allows two visitors over the age of 16 at a time per patient between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for general hospital units. No visitors will be allowed for patients who are COVID-19 positive or awaiting test results. Exceptions can be made for end-of-life, special circumstances and patients who are children. One visitor is allowed at a time per patient in the Emergency Department and surgical areas (same day surgery, general surgery, and labor and delivery). Women’s Health and Newborn Care allows two visitors per mother/baby unit at a time once in postpartum rooms. Due to available ED lobby space and to maintain proper social distancing, additional visitors to the ED are asked to remain in their cars. The Bothwell Cafeteria is open to visitors during select hours.
“People should not visit the hospital if they are feeling ill. Symptoms for the Delta variant of the virus include runny nose, sore throat, diarrhea and brain fog. A high temperature is not among the top 10 list of symptoms for this particular variant, which is why we no longer take visitor temperatures,” the briefing states.
Any individuals with a new diagnosis of COVID-19 infection should ask their provider about whether they might qualify for monoclonal antibody therapy.
“Monoclonal antibody therapy is a high concentration of antibodies created in a lab that has extremely high efficiency at blocking COVID-19 infection of cells,” the briefing states. “Unvaccinated individuals take around 10 days to develop an antibody response, and until the antibody response occurs, the virus can freely spread through the body with nothing to slow it down. Monoclonal antibody infusion results in immediate high concentration of COVID-19 blocking antibodies…”
The briefing further states that “research indicates the risk of death or hospitalization was reduced by 70% among high-risk individuals with COVID-19 infection.” The treatment is free to patients with costs covered by the government. It is effective if administered within 10 days of onset of symptoms, particularly within the first three days. The monoclonal antibodies remain active and provide ongoing protection for up to three months following infusion.
Monoclonal antibody therapy is not effective for individuals who have become seriously ill with COVID-19 and require hospitalization or require oxygen due to COVID-19 lung disease.
COVID-19 testing is available at the Bothwell Walk In Clinic located on the first floor of the Healing Arts Center. Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Katy Trail Community Health is offering free COVID vaccines and free COVID testing at all sites on a walk-in basis. In Pettis County, you can be tested or vaccinated at 821 Westwood Drive. Go to www.katytrailcommunityhealth.org or call 877-733-5824.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported a seven-day total of 5,843 confirmed cases for an average of 833 per day. There were a total of six deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Missouri during the last seven days, representing an average of one death per day. There were a total of 51,488 vaccinations, representing an average of 7,550 per day.