Pettis County added 156 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 2,268, according to the Pettis County Health Center.
There are now 856 active cases and 1,540 residents have been released to normal activity. Twenty-two residents are hospitalized seeking treatment for the COVID-19 virus.
According to information in the Pettis County COVID-19 Task Force briefing issued Monday, as of Nov. 9, there are 2,424 cases as compared to 1,984 reported on Nov. 2 and 1727 cases reported on Oct. 26. This is an increase of 440 cases in the past week and 697 cases in the past two weeks. There are more than 600 active cases. The health center is investigating seven deaths that may be attributed to the COVID-19 virus.
According to the briefing, the Department of Health and Senior Services reports a positivity rate of 36.5% for the past week and a rate of 23.15% for October.
The 13-18 age group now has more positive cases than the 19-24 age group.
“From the case investigation, the transmission is not happening in schools, but rather within families and from community events,” according to the briefing. “There has been transmission identified from parties around Halloween. The Nov. 2 time frame is within the window of those who were exposed around Halloween.”
According to state data, Pettis County had the highest rate of cases for the week of Oct. 31 to Nov. 6 for the entire state. The rate is calculated by using a standard of 100,000 so comparisons can be made across large and small jurisdictions. Pettis County ranks eighth overall in the total number of cases. This data indicates that the risk of being exposed to the virus in Pettis county is high.
There will be free COVID community testing sponsored by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in conjunction with the Missouri National Guard at the Sheep Pavilion on the Missouri State Fairground from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20. In order to have enough testing material, individuals need to register at health.mo.gov/communitytest or by calling 877-435-8411.
The Pettis County Health Center issued a statement Monday noting it will be closed for routine public health services until further notice. Community members with appointments should call the Health Center at 660-827-1130. Anyone with a WIC appointment should call 660-827-4599. The center hopes to continue WIC services.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported a seven-day total of 21,670 cases on Monday for an average of 3,096 per day. There were a total of 53 deaths attributed to COVID 19 in Missouri during the last seven days, representing an average of eight deaths per day.
