Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct information about Bothwell Regional Health Center's upcoming vaccine clinics.
Pettis County added 16 cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 5,157, according to the Pettis County Health Center. This total does not include one individual who tested positive more than 90 days ago and tested positive again.
There are zero individuals hospitalized.
According to the Pettis County COVID-19 Task Force briefing issued Monday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website is reporting Pettis County has a positivity rate of 3.3% for the past seven days. The DHSS website reports 78 deaths in Pettis County, however, the Health Center received a report of a COVID associated death Monday, the briefing states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance regarding the wearing of face coverings for fully vaccinated individuals. Fully vaccinated individuals may go without a face covering in most places with the exception of hospitals, clinics, congregate care settings, airplanes, trains and buses. The CDC update is posted on the Pettis County Health Center Facebook page or available at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html.
The Health Center has revised the guidance on quarantine. In accordance with the options provided by the CDC, non-household contacts may be released from quarantine on day seven after the last exposure provided the individual is tested no sooner than day five after exposure and the results are provided to the Health Center. Additional steps must be taken for the full 14 days after exposure. The quarantine period for household contacts does not change as most transmission is occurring within households/family groups. There is no provision in the CDC guidance or state guidance for “testing out of quarantine,” the briefing states. Isolation of positive cases remains at 10 days. The text of the update will be available on the Pettis County Health Center website and Facebook page.
Pettis County has now vaccinated approximately 28.6% of the population with at least one dose. According to the state website, 12,102 Pettis County residents have received one dose and 10,681 have completed the two-dose series, which means approximately 25.2% of the population is fully vaccinated. Pettis County is falling behind the state rate of 39.7% with at least one dose and 33.4% fully vaccinated. The state is reporting 50.2% of the population over 18 has at least one dose of vaccine and 41.9% is fully vaccinated. For Pettis County, 37.9% of the population 18 and older has at least one dose and 33.4% are fully vaccinated.
The Health Center will have regular walk-in clinics from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays. First doses will be available as well as second doses for those unable to make their second dose appointment. Appointments are not required but people can register by calling 660-827-1130.
OATS is providing transportation to vaccine clinics free of charge. To schedule transportation, call 1-800-276-6287.
According to the briefing, the most recent sewer shed testing has indicated the presence of the UK variant in Pettis County.
“The presence of the variant is not a surprise,” the briefing states. “The vaccines continue to be effective against this variant. However, this does support the importance of having a significant portion of the population vaccinated so the variants have fewer people to infect and cause future variants.”
Bothwell Regional Health Center will be administering Pfizer dose one and two from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 20 at Bothwell Truman Lake and from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, May 21 at the Bothwell Healing Arts Center in Sedalia. Bothwell will be administering Pfizer dose one from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, May 22 at the Bothwell Healing Arts Center in Sedalia.
People may walk in at any event. To reduce wait time, people can make an appointment by calling 660-829-8888 or schedule in Bothwell’s patient portal, MyBothwellHealth at www.brhc.org/portal or in the MHealth app. Visit www.brhc.org/vaccine for all clinic dates.
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.
The briefing states that while the CDC loosened restrictions last week on mask wearing for vaccinated people in the public, the guidance doesn’t apply to hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, homeless shelters or prisons. Therefore, there have been no changes in Bothwell’s visitor policy, and masks are still required for visitors and employees.
Katy Trail Community Health is testing daily at 816 Westwood from 8 a.m. to noon. Katy Trail is vaccinating all patients. Community members can be vaccinated from 8 a.m. to noon Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays at 816 Westwood Drive. Community members are asked to register at covidvaccine.mo.gov/navigator and contact Katy Trail Community Health to request an appointment time.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported a seven-day total of 1,760 confirmed cases for an average of 251 per day. There were a total of 13 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Missouri during the last seven days, representing an average of two deaths per day. There were 128,006 vaccines administered in the last seven days in Missouri for an average of 18,287 per day.
