Friday 29th March 2024

During the Pettis County COVID-19 task force meeting on Monday, November 23, Pettis County Health Center officials reported the total positive case count had reached 3,089 since the beginning of the pandemic. That is an increase of 370 cases in the past week and 665 cases in the past two weeks.

Unofficial minutes from the meeting say the positivity rate for the week of November 8-14 was 40.37 percent; and the rate is 880.98 per 100,000.

Based upon the public-health warning issued by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Pettis County is an extreme-risk county. The parameters for being an extreme-risk county are a PCR 7-day positivity rate of 15 percent or above and a seven-day case rate of 350 or above per 100,000.

The recommendations from the guidance include occupancy limits in businesses to reflect social distancing (a minimum of six feet between customers or tables); limiting social groups to 10 or less (a social group is defined as any planned or spontaneous event or gathering that brings together a group of people in a single space at the same time, excluding normal business activities, religious services, schools and school activities and extended family gatherings); and masks are strongly advised (although still required in Pettis County) in all offices and businesses where social distancing is not possible.

Health Department officials say, “Due to the large number of cases the Health Center has received, we are no longer able to call all positive cases within several days of receiving the notification. We also are not receiving information from testing sites outside of the county, including CVS, in a timely manner. Therefore, anyone who receives a positive test result from the place where they are tested are to remain in isolation for 10 days from the test.”

Health Center officials add, “Isolation means no close contact with anyone in your household, including sleeping arrangements. If you cannot remain separate, then everyone must wear a mask when within six feet of each other. If that is not possible, then the quarantine for household members will begin at the end of the 10-day isolation for the positive case.”

“We will call you within the 10-day period of isolation. If you do not hear from the Health Center after 10 days, please call us. We may not have been notified of your test result,” health department officials say.

Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are going to present a significant challenge as the spread of COVID 19 continues.

Health department officials say, “Please consider carefully if gathering with family and friends who do not live with you is the safest plan. If you gather together, look for ways to have social distance between family groups; try to avoid common serving spoons; make sure everyone washes hands well; open the window to improve ventilation; and if Thanksgiving should be warm, consider having the gathering outside. Not being able to have traditional holiday celebrations is going to be hard for everyone. We don’t want a family gathering to be the source of illness for family and friends, particularly those who are at high risk. No one wants to spend the Christmas holidays at the hospital.”