Health Department Provides COVID-19, Vaccine Updates | Free News

Lisa Marshall, Director of Health at Tanny County, met in front of the Tanny County Commission on 28 December to provide updates on the Health Department and COVID-19.

“Most of what we do in the health sector continues to be COVID,” Marshall said. “Starting with the numbers, we’re pulling these out of the state’s website. We’ve had 3,692 cases so far, dating from the end of March to the present (December 28, 2020). 51 deaths in the state. And now that we have 46 people on our website, we are in constant coordination with the state health department. They get a death certificate before we do, so we always coordinate it, We make sure we are up to date, and we also check it in the inspector’s office, so we go through a slightly broader process to ensure they are verified. “

Marshall then emphasized the weekly numbers up to December 28 and the surge in numbers seen after Thanksgiving holidays.

“In the last seven days, 86 cases have occurred. For us, that’s actually a decline,” Marshall said. “It’s not that surprising, as there was a pretty good peak around December 1, about five days after Thanksgiving. I think there were about 85-89 new cases on December 1. Since then. It’s been steadily declining. This is great news. “

Health Department recommendations for indoor meetings before and after holidays are often ignored, so Marshall said the Department of Health is preparing to see a surge in numbers and “increased and decrease cases during the winter.” It was.

Although the number of Taney County declined as December progressed, the county still had a positive rate of 19.8 percent.

“It’s a decline at the moment,” Marshall said. “At some point, it was up to about 33% (positive rate). Again, we saw that decrease in December. We anticipate another spike, and then vaccination. You’ll see how it works. It’s the kind of number we’re sitting on right now. “

Marshall then discussed new quarantine procedures adopted by the health sector, including revised quarantine guidance for schools regarding exposure within schools.

On November 12, Governor Mike Parson said that exposed persons need to be quarantined if both those diagnosed with COVID-19 at school and those exposed to positive cases are properly wearing masks. We have released the latest quarantine guidance that emphasizes the absence of. The exposed person then monitors the symptoms and stays home with the first signs of the symptoms. Those who initially test positive should still be quarantined at home.

The Department of Health subsequently issued a press release on November 23, stating that only schools with face-covering requirements would be subject to modified quarantine for students and staff. During the modified quarantine period, exposed students and staff will only leave home to go to school and will not be able to participate in extracurricular activities.

Marshall then discussed the latest public quarantine guidance for the CDC.

“We also confirmed that the CDC has updated the quarantine guidance. Of course, science hasn’t changed, so those who can quarantine for 14 days can do so, but those who can’t do that 10-day quarantine is acceptable. Will be done, “says Marshall. “Our board adopted it a few weeks ago, so we started a 10-day quarantine. Of course, there was also a 7-day test-out option recommended by the CDC, but our board adopted it. Didn’t. Adopt the work for our local case. Therefore, when the level of the case improves and you can keep it for 7 days, check it and at that point See where you are sitting. “

The Taney County Health Department is also adopting new technology to prevent people in quarantine from receiving letters of release and calling everyone in quarantine.

“Some new technologies we’ve adopted are basically (we can’t call everyone), we’re just too much to catch up and contact everyone. I couldn’t do it in a timely fashion, “Marshall said. “We currently have text notifications, so if your personal test is positive, you will receive a text asking you to complete a simple survey, which will help you determine and participate in the level of follow-up you need. There is also a release line.

“Then we came across people who were basically doing the right thing and putting themselves in quarantine because they were exposed, but in the course of our investigation their name was us. We didn’t know they were in quarantine because they weren’t given to and they had some difficulty getting them (release letter), so now on our website There is a self-reporting link that allows you to report that an individual being quarantined or published is being published, being quarantined, and being sent. They may take it back to their employer or school. Written letters as you can. They are really a struggle and a problem as we were seeing. I couldn’t contact everyone, but basically I have to know they were quarantined. For example, I couldn’t get the letter. This gives them a way to get the letter for that release. I’ve had some people use it and it’s been pretty successful. “

Vaccine distribution

Marshall then finished his presentation with the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I’m going to dive into the vaccine. Please let me know where we are currently sitting,” Marshall said. “The State Health Department has mostopscovid.com And basically we share that ad on all social media platforms. This is a great resource for answering many of the frequently asked questions and informing everyone about available vaccines.

“Currently, that website has great sites for people who just ask basic questions about what it is, safety, effectiveness, priority groups, and good sites for vaccinated people, of course. , It’s all public, so anyone can access the entire website. Basically, it’s a really good resource to let everyone know what’s going on, because it’s updated very often. , When new information becomes available, it will be available on that website. “

According to Marshall and the State Department of Health, vaccine distribution will be available in four different stages. The first phase currently underway is Phase 1A, which includes residents and staff in long-term care facilities, as well as patient-facing healthcare professionals. Phase 1B includes high-risk individuals (ages 18-64), individuals over 65, first responders, and essential workers. Phase 2 includes high-risk populations such as prisoners and homeless people. Finally, Phase 3 includes all Missouri residents.

“As a state, we work together through these priority groups. It’s said to be done as a state, not as a county (process),” Marshall said. “Basically there are 1A, 1B, then two and three. From what we’ve heard, there’s never been an effort of this scale, so the huge amount of vaccine needed. I don’t know how long it will take to get through with the combination of people and what is currently in production. “Each of these priority groups.”

Marshall then emphasized how the health sector does not currently have vaccines, but is preparing for the day they get to support distribution. She said they were preparing for the general public hoping to get the vaccine by the end of spring.

“We were told that the county would only prepare for civilian vaccinations at the end of spring, which would be prepared based on an estimate of the time it would take to pass 1A and 1B. It’s a timeline, “says Marshall. “At this point, we have very large plans. Most of our staff’s time is basically spent on the planning process when it’s not a work case. Basically, one organization does it all on its own. It’s too heavy to do, so it works very closely with first responders, healthcare partners, and local task forces that involve most jurisdictions. There are also emergency management. So basically, the county We are working to plan this vaccination effort together. “

Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, Cox Health posted the following post on its Facebook page on December 19th regarding when the vaccine will be generally available.

“Some people ask when people throughout our community will be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Answer: We just wanted to know.

“We are enthusiastic about the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine throughout the region, but because this is a state and federal program, we have limited knowledge of the current plan.

“Like many others, we look forward to learning more about the timeline and structure of how these vaccinations are done. We play a role in helping patients and the community. I’m anxious to wait, and I hope the state reveals its plans. “

visit mostopscovid.com